Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal - January 2018

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JANUARY 2018 VOL. 33 NO. 1

WHAT’S IN STORE FOR 2018?

by Dave Gardner

Optimism with a touch of cautious sobriety mark the economic forecasts from a lineup of distinguished analysts as America marches into yet another new year.

Calendar year 2017 produced fertile ground for future commerce within America’s $19 trillionplus GDP with 2.3 percent growth, according to Gus Faucher, senior economist with PNC Bank.

He is therefore forecasting a measurable GDP improvement for 2018, with 2.7 percent growth and most economic sectors producing a healthy showing.

He predicts that housing starts and home pricing will tick upward, and the vital price of crude oil will actually decline to around $50-plus per barrel on the world markets. Traditional retail will continue to evolve, along with the associated retail real estate interests, but old economic sectors such as the coal industry will ebb as the dynamics of new industries, such as natural gas, flex their energetic muscles.

“Of course, a war in Korea could end all bets on forecasting the economy,” said Faucher.

The Congressional effort toward changes in the federal taxation system according to Faucher, will also help to provide a bump upward with commerce. However, he warns that the current effort is not genuine tax reform, because it will undoubtedly increase the national debt, thereby producing only a short-term stimulus.

Faucher also remarked that the Federal Reserve appears to be following a cautious, but genuine pro-growth agenda in the manner of the past decade. The year ahead for legislators will probably witness spirited debate about the

FOcuS ON WILkES-bARRE

ALSO INSIDE:

David Taylor, president and CEO of Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association

financial implications of massive baby boomer retirements, how to pay for promised benefits, and the amount of financial support to deliver in the years ahead.

Included in this Congressional discussion will be societal questions about what American society will tolerate with the number of uninsured for health care, including within retirement.

“No real efforts have been made to cope with rising health care costs,” said Faucher. “Washington has conducted absolutely no conversations about this issue because we do not yet have the political will to talk about this very difficult situation.”

Faucher added that there are no factual indications off-shored manufacturing jobs will return in large numbers, as promised by President Trump.

The true focus within manufacturing has become

the use of machines to replace unskilled human workers, thereby making workforce development the key for employment within technology-based manufacturing.

“Labor reductions from robotics will become increasingly common in the days ahead, and total manufacturing employment may actually drop,” said Faucher. “The big question is how to help those left behind by all of these market changes.”

Tax reform bump Washington’s efforts at tax reform will undoubtedly fuel some growth for Pennsylvania’s $531 billion GDP, predicted Gene Barr, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Commerce.

However, Barr warned that to a large degree anticipatory returns already have been taken out of the reform’s final effects, and he questions if the national economy will receive the mass economic bump forecasted by Washington. In addition, the resultant increase in the national debt will inevitably serve as an economic brake, with Please see What's In Store, Page 4

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Leadership Profile: Teri Ooms

SEE PAgE 8

Small business Spotlight

SEE PAgE 19

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FeatureS

What’s in Store for 2018 ..... cover, 4 patient Medical compliance ......... 5 tax reform............................... 7 leadership profile ...................... 8 real estate .............................. 9 #Metoo in the Workplace ........... 10 consumer confidence................ 10 Focus on Wilkes-barre.......... 14 - 15

regional neWS

Made in nepa ......................... 16 celebrating Women entrepreneurs 19 Small business Spotlight ............ 19

executive Suite

banking and Finance.................

Strategic planning....................

Marketing .............................. economic development..............

buSineSS bulletinS

12 13 18 18

personnel File.................... 20 - 25 For the record ................... 26 - 30 deeds .............................. 26 - 27 Mortgages ........................ 27 - 29 Stocks ............................. 29 - 30 business briefs ....................... 31

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What’s In store continued from page 1

any positive GDP growth actually dependent upon how each state has made itself competitive for business.

Barr also reported that the economic agony of the Great Recession is finally fading into the rearview mirror of business.

“Overall, our chamber members are commenting that their businesses are doing quite well,” said Barr.

“They are optimistic despite the apparent inability of our lawmakers to get out of the way.”

Barr Concerns for 2018 voiced by chamber members, according to Barr, include the negative effects of President Trump’s demeanor, changing American demographics and a frustrating inability to fill skilled jobs. Federal immigration policies should include attention to workforce needs, with the reality that there is no evidence Trump can be successful at bringing back offshored low-skill manufacturing jobs.

“Automation use is sure to expand during 2018, and workforce preparation must focus on higher end jobs that require education and specific skills,” said Barr. “This is a vital part of the economic development picture.”

He warned that a high school diploma is now insufficient preparation for most jobs, although a two-year tech degree or certificate of competency increasingly opens many skilled-employment doors. As all of these scenarios play out during 2018, unknowns that could cause mass disruption are plentiful, such as a war in Korea, tax reform side-effects and terrorist or cyber-attacks.

“We’re also concerned about the divisiveness around the country,” said Barr. “I personally believe divisiveness is more wideJones spread than any time since the Civil War era.”

Technological disruptions The non-profit trade association CompTIA has reported that tech employment within the United States now exceeds 6.7 million people. Tech firms are producing more than seven percent of the national GDP, and generating 11 percent of the total national payroll within the private sector.

Within this surging economic engine expecta-

tions are strong for increased disruption in large markets such as government, health care and financial services, according to Kris Jones, founder and CEO of LSEO. Old entrenched ways will increasingly be replaced by new technologies such as voice recognition and artificial intelligence as big tech companies continue to enter new industries with more resources than these industries want to address.

“Get ready for more and more conversational devices that trigger action, such as email by voice,” said Jones.

He further forecasts that 2018 will include an increased integration of digital commerce. The survivors of this disruption must operate brick and mortar plus a digital presence as they cash in on sales technology with efficiency and integration.

“Voice technology that allows facial recognition for security will also begin to make digital passwords obsolete,” said Jones.

On-demand video services such as Netflix will continue to prosper during 2018, with more original content available to viewers than ever before. This, according to Jones, will be matched to rising usage of cryptocurrency such as bitcoin, as business units such as financial services and health care become ripe for inclusion with these digital technologies.

“Resistance to these and other forms of digital disruption is ebbing because of recognition that the resultant efficiency and convenience are good for business,” said an enthusiastic Jones.

Strategic policies?

Any economic forecasts about 2018 must include information that examines trends within the nation’s bustling health care system. During 2017, according to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid services, domestic health care spending exceeded $3.3 trillion, accounting for 17.9 percent of the nation’s GDP. Justin Matus, Ph.D., associate professor and director of MBA program for the Sidhu School of Business and Leadership at Wilkes University, also serves on the board of directors for Wilkes-Barre General Hospital. He accused Washington of only being concerned with movement of insurance dollars, while no strategic attempt has been made to actually tackle health care policy and system-wise rising costs.

Dr. Matus further declared that the percentage of domestic GDP spending for health care is out of control, while all talk about healthy competition within providers is a falsehood. Only pseudo competition exists, because system size rules as limited number of massive health care systems do battle over a limited number of patients.

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JANUARY 2018

in industries such as logistics, and are expanding daily into the manufacturing sector as technologies such as programmable controllers advance.

“Efficiency and productivity, plus safety, are the goals within manufacturing, but the new technologies definitely are causing thousands of lost jobs with new jobs also being created,” said Taylor.

“This can be hard for people, but history clearly shows ongoing change with employment is normal. Political infighting about this is not good, because we must find new ways to use our workforce skills, intellects and talents.”

Faucher Demographic changes According to the National Center for Education Statistics, during the academic year 2014 to 2015, total revenues at degree-granting postsecondary institutions within the nation totaled $567 billion in current dollars. This unfolded within a labor-intensive economic sector dealing with rising operating costs, such as health care insurance, and demographics challenges including a 10-percent drop in the number of 18-year-old potential students.

“We knew this big demographic challenge was coming,” said Thomas Botzman, Ph.D., president of Misericordia University. “An 18-yearold can only attend one school at a time.”

To counteract this and other difficult economic challenges facing the nation’s colleges, schools must learn to better market themselves, according to Dr. Botzman.

The national tax reform is also creating an environment that may be damaging to collegiate Taxation smiles budgets and associated enrollments, despite the On the Pennsylvania manufacturing front, factual evidence that most industry is generating more than $2.1 trillion four-year degrees have not in total GDP. This scenario is sure to evolve as lost their value. infrastructure renewal, regulatory rollbacks and tax “Four-year graduates are reform provide fertile ground for manufacturers, now earning $500,000 to according to David Taylor, president and CEO of $1 million dollars more over Pennsylvania Manufacturers Association. a lifetime as opposed to no matus Washington’s tax changes, according to Taylor, college,” said Dr. Botzman. have a reasonable chance of bringing home $2 “That’s a pretty good investtrillion to the United States that has been stranded ment.” overseas due to lower corporate tax rates abroad.

He added that enhanced abilities to read and “I’m quite sure tax reform will not be just a think critically will continue to be vital as the financial iceberg for the wealthy,” said Taylor.

American economy evolves in the 21st Century.

“Corporations are being put into better investQuestions about skill acquisition for lower socioment situations, and this will eventually benefit economic strata must also be addressed. everyone.”

“I fear Washington is now stacking the deck On a specific note, manufacturing’s use of roagainst our colleges,” said Dr. Botzman. “That is bots is sure to increase, according to Taylor. These an unfortunate move, because for the nation to technologies are proving to be transformational prosper government must invest in people.”

Merger, consolidations and vertical integration will therefore continue to be paramount within complex health care business strategies as provider systems strive to do business under one roof. Dr. Matus therefore forecasts that the drive toward increased system size, with decreasing competition, will dominate during 2018.

According to Dr. Matus, an interesting systemic change may be occurring in Denmark as front-line caregivers unionize. This is being done to counteract the loss of power being experienced by general practitioners, and Dr. Matus believes a similar movement could take root here during 2018.

“Value-based medicine is the thrust in America as the big health care systems seek more bang for their buck,” said Dr. Matus. “This is decreasing the power of the front-line physicians, but based on what I have seen overseas the care givers are reacting to regain some of that control.”

Dr. Matus also forecasted that health care will see an increased use of artificial intelligence for diagnosis. In many cases digital technology can interpret tools such as diagnostic scans better than a human, making this change predictable within the nation’s care Botzman system.

“On a negative note, I also believe there no basis for optimism that the general public is going to take wellness seriously,” said Dr. Matus. “Only reduced demands for health care will reduce the amount we as a society are spending.”

HEALTH CARE

Patient Medical Compliance the root cause of this phenomenon. Increasingly, patients may not admit that they simply can’t afford their prescribed drugs.

“Fortunately, physicians are now learning how rising drug costs are an issue for so many people,” said Dr. Matthys.

She also reported that the old coal miner belief of total neglect for health and wellness finally has Motivational interviewing ebbed within NEPA, but many patients do cherry A central theme in the promotion of patient pick with the ideas accepted by their physician. Ofhealth now involves a physician technique known ten family pressures will be stacked completely for as motivational interviewing. This can be defined as an approach that attempts to move an individual or against wellness, with obesity a huge problem that shows no abatement. away from a state of indecision or uncertainty and “As a physician we must find a motivator for towards motivation to make positive decisions and each patient as their facilitator,” said Dr. Matthys. accomplish established goals.

“We keep the patient talking, According to Dr. Joyce, a process within moand as their ideas begin to tivational interviewing is known as the five whys. change, we usually start This is an interrogative technique used to explore small with recommendations, the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem and determine the root cause by such as just a cutback from smoking as opposed to a repeating the question, “Why?” total cessation.”

Each answer given by the patient forms the

by Dave Gardner Dr. Matthys emphasized basis of the next question. The “five” in the process matthys name derives from an anecdotal observation on the that most patients do not As health care costs perpetually rise, an innovanumber of steps needed to resolve the problem and respond to a mandatory tive series of physician processes are attempting list of physician demands. Instead, the motivaproduce a sense of being understood. to include patients within the nation’s caregivtional interviewing process should question what The clinicians must attend simultaneously to ing teams and, in the process, inspire healthier the biological, psychological and social dimensions the patient desires in the future, such as seeing behaviors. of illness, and during the process the physician will grandchildren and/or being physically active, and In the past, a physician’s efforts to drive a then gently move the patient in that direction with probe what really matters to the patient, what they patient toward healthier behaviors may have been look forward to, and ask what they desire to change applicable behaviors. referred to as patient compliance. However, in the “They can’t get this all from us,” said Dr. with behavior. Patient goals are then established to modern age that term is not accurate, according to Matthys. “Instead, they must own the process. If bring about necessary changes, starting in small Jennifer Joyce, MD, professor of family medicine at the physician hits a stonewall they must back off steps. the Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine. but keep dialogue open and be sure the patient is “Collaboration that includes the patient, their Dr. Joyce and her peers now promote a partnerfamily, and the entire health care team is vital if be- understanding what we are telling them. If we just ship where the physician is equally responsible havior changes are to be achieved,” said Dr. Joyce. keep hammering away the patient may go find for both determining an appropriate approach someone else to talk to.” for each patient and exploring the personal and She added that stress has become the mortal Scuttled wellness? environmental issues that will impact that person’s enemy of wellness. Frustration, anxiety and insomMultiple barriers often inhibit a patient from ability to “adhere” to the advice. This creates a nia are commonly revealed within medical visits, pursuing the recommendations of a health care patient-centered model that can help the patient with financial and family issues at the heart of the team, according to Allyson Matthys, DO, family define what their goals are within a proactive and problems. medicine physician with The Wright Center for motivating system.

“Time is the enemy of all things,” said Dr. Graduate Medical Education. Some patients do sin“The physician doesn’t make the patient cerely ask for a list of physician recommendations Matthys. healthy,” said Dr. Joyce. “The patient does through that involve habits, stress management and time shared decisions with the health care team.”

Multiple stressors pressures, but even in these cases a drive toward This proactive and personalized wellness moveThe national insurance industry has also wellness may become scuttled. ment within health care is decades old, but the real become involved in the wellness arena with The problem of medication not being taken as changes toward patient involvement gained steam increased efforts to encourage patient healthy instructed is one area where caregivers often enduring the past decade. The scenario has been counter problems, driving physicians to determine behaviors. Margie Andrews, manager, case and fueled by the reality that as much as 60 percent of illness in America involves behaviors and environmental influences.

“Self-inflicted illness is the wrong terminology,” said Dr. Joyce. “Physicians cannot blame patient for failures. We must look at systemic issues.”

disease management area with Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, noted that the medical community is now understanding that varying patient behaviors are actually the product of unique and multiple stressors within that person, such as divorce, behavior, depression, or a andrews lack of access.

Therefore, each physician has a responsibility to identify barriers with the goal of helping the patient to understand it is their health which is at risk. The hardest step may be the first, such as encouraging a patient to read food labels as part of a basic drive toward wellness and then gain confidence that further change is possible.

“There is a lot bad ambivalence out there on all sides which, must be addressed,” said Andrews.

“To accomplish this, we focus on positives with the understanding that we all experience success and failure.”

Tom Novinger, MD, Highmark’s senior medical director, added that the drive toward behaviorallyinspired wellness is more about patient adherence than a good versus bad issue. Caregivers must get away from what has often been a confrontational, judgmental and a paternalistic past, instead favoring coaching and collaboration.

“Physicians also must learn to better communicate,” said Dr. Novinger. “When people act differently they do so for a good reason and novinger family history is a powerful factor, so it’s vital we address where patient is at and give them control.”

Relapse, where a patient reverts to unhealthy behaviors, is a common step in a permanent behavioral change, according to Dr. Novinger. In most cases a one-step “fix” to a lack of wellness does not exist, making small behavioral changes vital that lead to greater overall wellness vital.

Physicians must also not give up despite setbacks in patient behavior. Instead, they must utilize all of the assets available, including Blue’s team of nurses who are available to applicable patients via a phone call.

“You never know when you will say something that triggers a positive change,” said Dr. Novinger.

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Businesses Take Their Banking On The Road

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TAX REFORM Businesses and Reform

by Phil Yacuboski

Many businesses are praising the new GOP tax bill, saying it will cut taxes and allow businesses and corporations to invest and hire workers.

“It’s a big victory,” said David N. Taylor, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Manufacturer’s Association, who said the bill is especially good for manufacturing. “Getting the corporate rate to 21 percent, which is right below the average of our closest competitors, is great news. It give us a slight advantage.”

He said one of the biggest advantages will be global versus territorial taxation, which won’t penalize corporations from bringing back overseas profits and investing that money here in the U.S. “As a result, you have an enormous amount of corporate earnings that can’t come home,” he said.

Reform and the Payer

by Phil Yacuboski

Congress did something in December it hasn’t done since President Ronald Reagan was in office — changed the tax code. Pennsylvania taxpayers will likely see some relief from the GOP tax bill, or will they?

“If you have more money in your paycheck, you’ll spend more of that money,” said Lou Ingargiola, president of Ingargiola Wealth Group in Dunmore.

The tax bill makes a whole host of changes, that Democrats argue will make life worse for Americans – Republicans — just the opposite.

Regardless of what the tax break is, he said, people should consider putting the money into an investment of some sort.

“Hopefully, you’ll save some of that money as well.

Even if it’s two percent, I’d rather the two percent in my pocket than the government’s pocket. It just makes people feel good if you have a few extra dollars in your pocket.”

With the corporate tax rate dropping to 21 percent, he said people will notice that in their stock portfolios.

“That has a much bigger effect on everyone else because hopefully when that tax is lowered, companies like Apple will bring their profits back here and they will hire here,” he said, adding that more money would be hired and more people would get raises.

One deduction that remained in flux was the student loan interest deduction. Taxpayers will be allowed to deduct up to $2,500 per year on the interest paid on their student loans. Employee tuition assistance remains

“You’re talking about maybe two trillion dollars of profits that can be reinvested in America. This will be a real private-sector stimulus.”

The bill also expands full-expensing of equipment and allows them to deduct the cost of investment immediately, rather than wait for items to depreciate.

“That’s what enables the purchase to be made in the first place,” he said. “This will really spur investment and to buy new gear to expand investment.”

Taylor said it will likely create more competitiveness between the states to make them more business friendly.

“Will North Carolina, Texas and Indiana see a bigger bump because their fundamentals are better?

Probably. But this at least gives us a fighting chance,” he said. “This is what we needed Washington to do.”

For the oil and gas industry, passage of the tax plan is welcome news.

“Proposals to lower the corporate tax rate and strengthen cost-recovery provisions can allow the oil

and natural gas industry to continue investing billions of dollars in the U.S. economy and add to the 10 million U.S. jobs our industry currently supports,” said Jack Gerard, CEO of the American Petroleum Institute.

The Marcellus shale industry has been operating in Pennsylvania for about ten years. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and their December Drilling Productivity Report, Pennsylvania’s natural gas production has reached 15 billion cubic feet per day. The number is a 25 percent increase over the previous year and an increase of 80 percent since January 2013.

“These reforms can also drive innovations in new technologies to protect the environment and keep energy costs low for consumers,” he said.

Nineteen percent of U.S. natural gas production comes from Pennsylvania.

While it’s a comparatively small industry in Pennsylvania compared to natural gas, wind farms will likely see a bump from the tax bill.

“We are grateful to our champions in Congress for their work to craft a pro-business tax reform bill that will continue the success story of American wind power,” said Tom Kiernan, CEO of the American Wind Energy Association.

Pennsylvania has 27 wind manufacturing sites, including several in the northeast. It is estimated that the wind power it manufactures, powers more than 300,000 homes. The industry also supports about 2,000 jobs.

The Mehoopany Wind Farm in Wyoming is the state’s largest, with 88 wind turbines. The Bear Creek Wind Farm in Luzerne County has 12; a wind farm in Waymart has 43, according to information compiled by the Saint Francis University Institute for Energy.

“The bill respects the 2015 bipartisan phase-out, preserving through 2019 the Production Tax Credit and Investment Tax Credit, which the wind industry uses to access capital and invest in U.S. infrastructure,” he said.

non-taxable, meaning your employer can contribute up to $5,250 for continuing education and taxpayers don’t pay a tax on that — a popular tax credit that is often used for people who are trying to get ahead.

Child tax credits will also stay on the books.

One deduction that is going away is the deduction you used to be able to take for the money paid to a tax preparer or software used to file your taxes. The bill also gets rid of the bike commuting deduction, which allowed taxpayers to deduct up to $20 per month on the cost of bicycling to work.

But perhaps the thing Republicans are celebrating most is the repealing of the so-called individual mandate as part of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which forced Americans to buy health insurance some argue they don’t want or can’t afford.

“Many individuals are only buying insurance under the threat of the mandate and the concern is that a significant number of individuals will drop coverage,” said Jeff Bechtel, senior vice-president of health economics and policy, The Hospital Association of Pennsylvania. “If this group is healthier than average, and we think that is likely, the unfortunate fact is that people remaining in the insurance pools are likely to be less healthy and more costly to insure.”

He said that will likely increase costs and premiums.

Many argue this is a ‘skinny repeal’ of ObamaCare.

“I think it’s fair to say the Congressional leadership and the administration doesn’t look favorably on the ACA and they’ve long targeted the mandate as government overreach,” he said. “This has been their opportunity to eliminate that element of the ACA.” On the flip side, Bechtel is happy to see the medical

expense deduction remain.

“We’re pleased to see that,” he said.

The new law allows for the medical expense deduction for two years for filers meeting a threshold from 10 percent of their adjusted gross income to 7.5 percent of

their adjusted gross income.

“I can’t believe a country like us can’t figure this out,” adding that as a small business owner himself, he said healthcare premiums have gone up ‘tremendously’ in the past four years. “Let’s hope that levels out.”

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NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 2018 7 TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B07] | 12/27/17

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LOCAL

Leadership Profile: Teri Ooms said Ooms. “During this time, I developed a love of the outdoors and blew off an awful In an age of bitter divisiveness, the lot of pent up energy.” champion of collaboration within NEPA Ooms journey to the love of collaboramay well be Teri Ooms, executive director tion began with a trip to California where of The Institute for Public Policy & Ecoshe visited family. She became attracted to nomic Development. the region’s progressive outdoor lifestyle, Ooms, a Scranton native, remains a vo- relocated there, and at the age of 26 was cal supporter of regional economic develnamed CEO of the Inland Empire Ecoopment conducted as a team, as opposed nomic Development Council, which comto competitively or even helter-skelter. She menced a great period of learning about has been executive director of the Institute the multiple facets of modern economic since 2004, which operates with represen- development. tation from numerous colleges and univerThe Inland Empire is defined as the sities throughout NEPA and with Wilkes region of Southern California located imUniversity serving as managing partner. mediately east of the Los Angeles area. It NEPA’s collaboration champion came includes more than 50 cities, towns and from somewhat traditional NEPA roots. Her unincorporated areas, making it a major father was a short-haul, 18-wheer truck metropolitan area with more than 4 million driver and her mother a retail salesperson. residents.

Ooms graduated from West Scranton “It was during this time I learned the High School and later the University of great value of a regional approach to Scranton where she studied public admindevelopment,” said Ooms. istration and political science. She recalled Ooms husband eventually pitched a craving a career in law since the age of curve ball and began to advocate that 7, and while being associated with the raising a child in NEPA was superior to University’s Small Business Development California, so the family made the tough Center she received her first delicious taste decision to pack up shop and return Ooms of economic development. to her roots. She came home armed with “My family had a lot to do with the dibig ideas for a regional approach on sterection of my life,” said Ooms. “My mother roids, plus a fervor to begin engineering was a woman of faith, and my father was the economic success she had been part always encouraging me to be a strong of in California. female.”

“Modern economic growth in a region cannot truly succeed without collaboration Childhood adversity with strategy and implementation, and The central theme of Ooms’s life has not there’s still a lot of work to be done here always been collaboration. Early on, she in NEPA,” said Ooms. “We also need a received a hard lesson in the handling of constitutional convention in Harrisburg to adversity after being diagnosed with juveaddress some fundamental issues that are nile rheumatoid arthritis at the age of six. inhibiting a true regional approach here.”

Within a year, Ooms couldn’t walk, and spent more than two years confined to bed Improving environment and a wheelchair. After displaying substanDuring her time at the Institute, Ooms tial grit, an almost miraculous remission has witnessed the crafting of public occurred and Ooms returned to the public policies that have created an environment schools feeling better, but socially awkfor improving job development, comward, with an appetite to do everything at merce, and provided information for more 100 miles per hour. informed decisions. She also has, by her “My mother was just terrified at my own admission, made some poor decibehavior, but my father was supportive,” sions based on inflated trust.

by Dave Gardner

8 NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B08] | 12/27/17

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JANUARY 2018

Teri Ooms, Chair of the VIM Board, recently spoke during the Volunteers in Medicine Annual Meeting and Appreciation Luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Plains Township.

“I’ve learned the hard way that people’s intentions are not always honorable,” said Ooms.

She refers to a propensity to nag while pushing for what she believes is right to be one of her greatest strengths. Ooms also admitted that she can display a frustrating inability to say no to requests, while also ensuring that all work done in a timely manner.

“With my inability to say no, I suppose I push our staff hard and expect a lot,” said Ooms. “But, I also second guess myself a lot.”

During the work day, Ooms strives to be function as a collaborative working manager. She participates in the Institute’s massive effort of data collection and

analysis along with the staff, and she is not a fan of individual attention.

“I vent a lot at home,” said Ooms. “I also have no desire to be the center of attention in the development spotlight.”

She also admits that, despite her disciplined and purposeful exterior, Ooms has absolutely no plan for her life in the years ahead. This may seem disheveled to some, but the scenario actually is just another page from a life that has been unscripted at the root level.

“I suppose my future is similar to how I just bagged a career in law after desiring it so much,” said Ooms. “This may seem a bit unsettling and I don’t like surprises, but we’ll just have to wait and see where the road takes me.”

ECONOMY

Real Estate In 2018

by Phil Yacuboski

As we head into 2018, real estate agents are looking for the stability of the market to continue.

“Everything has stayed pretty good in this area,” according to Adam Davis, a realtor with Classic Properties in Scranton and served as president of the Greater Scranton Board of Realtors in 2017. “Our prices are stable and if you have a good product, it’s definitely selling.”

Davis said in the Scranton area, there’s a shortage of housing listings.

“People are jumping because there’s not much out there,” he said. “I think we are really on the up and up.”

Realtor.com lists the Scranton/WilkesBarre/Hazleton market as ‘slightly cool’ in its November 2017 list of hottest markets around the country. It ranked 218 on the list.

The hottest markets in Pennsylvania sur-

round Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

Davis said he believes there’s a housing shortage in some areas, because people are not moving.

“That’s great because we want to keep them here, but this has really been the trend for the past year,” he said.

Davis said property is tough to come by in the Abingtons and Clarks Summit. He said the price range between $250,000 and $350,000 is almost ‘nonexistent.’

“And if they do come up, they are gone within days,” he said.

Scranton, on the other hand, he said, is ‘always a little bit slower.’ Davis also said rent has been rising, therefore it’s cheaper to buy a home.

“We’ve had continued recovery in Pennsylvania,” said Kathy McQuilkin, president the Pennsylvania Realtors Association, a statewide group that tracks real estate trends. “We haven’t seen huge incremental

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McQuilkin, “and that could still create a tax increase for a good number of homeowners.”

She thinks there is a possibility that home values may decrease if homeowners are carrying a lot of debt, given the deductions allowed under law.

McQuilkin said Pennsylvania’s home ownership rate is lower than in years past, something else that also might be affected by the new tax bill. According to numbers collected by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number is just below 70 percent; in 1999, it was 75.2 percent.

“Millennials are also at a low rate of home ownership,” she said, adding that with many of them carrying a lot of student loan debt, it’s often difficult to come up with down payment. Pennsylvania has the second highest student loan debt, according to information complied by the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics. “That has a big concern to us.”

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increases, but it’s been steady and brought us back to where we were at the end of 2007.”

In 2017, Scranton cut its realty transfer tax from 2.9 percent to 2.4 percent. For those buyer or seller on a home, it means a $250 savings on a home priced at $100,000.

“Anytime you reduce the transfer tax, that’s a positive,” she said. She said Pennsylvania’s transfer taxes are typically some of the highest in the nation.

The 2018 real estate market might largely depend on the tax bill passed by Congress.

“Our biggest concern has been the state and local tax deduction,” said McQuilkin.

“Pennsylvania is a high property and income tax state.”

The legislation allows filers to claim a deduction of up to $10,000 – meaning a combination of state and local income and sales taxes as well as property taxes.

“We think that’s a negative for us,” said

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NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 2018 9 TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B09] | 12/27/17

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#MeToo in the Workplace

NATIONAL

are tough to hear about, because these people have a lot of authority in those organizations Harvey Weinstein. Kevin Spacey. Matt and they have so much power,” he said.

Lauer. Charlie Rose. Mario Batali. Russell SimHe said typically, companies will differentimons. Al Franken. ate those policies and explain them to their While the list continues to grow, many employees to let them know that people can companies and organizations might be studycommit sexual harassment. ing their policies on how to handle claims of “I think we are seeing a lot of companies sexual harassment and reevaluating training reminding people of the policies,” said Dr. sessions for employees.

Marchese. “It’s recommended practice that “Most companies do have policies and in these refresher courses should be done on a those policies you do have to define the two regular basis. Just to remind people that this basic categories of sexual harassment,” said is what the policy is and these are the different Dr. Marc Marchese, a professor of Human forms of harassment and this is what you’re Resources Management and King’s College. supposed to do if it happens to you.”

He said one type is ‘quid pro quo,’ where a “There needs to be clear and well-defined person uses their power for sexual purposes. policies in place that employees and manage“If you want to keep your job or if you want ment can follow,” said James McAndrew, with a raise, then you have to perform some type Dehey McAndrew an employee benefit and huof sexual activity,” he said. “It’s an abuse of man resources firm in Scranton. The company power, by taking advantage of their position as has been in business for 30 years. president or chief executive.”

He said his firm often acts as a third-party However, he said the one that is more com- investigator when there are claims of sexual mon in the workplace is a hostile environment. harassment as well as offering outsourced hu“This is where people do things that are man resources services. inappropriate in the workplace that other McAndrew said managers and supervisors people find offensive,” he said. “Even though must be able to deal with a situation, whether there might not be any ulterior motives, they or not a formal complaint is filed. do things of a sexual nature that make other The federal Equal Employment Opportunity people uncomfortable. They feel intimidated Commission urges people to file claims within and unwelcome. Simply put, they find it a 180 day window from when it happens. hostile.”

“An employer will often want to bring a He said the instances of national sexual ha- third person in who is unbiased or unaffiliated rassment and assault allegations being brought with the employees or the employers or its to the forefront are good for the workplace. day-to-day operations,” said McAndrew. “We “This definitely got us thinking about it will research, investigate and talk to anybody again,” he said. “And it is okay to come forwho is affected with the complaint includward because I think there’s always a concern ing live meetings with each of the people about saying something. If you come forward, involved.” you have a voice,” adding that women who are McAndrew said they will make recommenvictims are often intimidated into staying silent. dations as to their findings, including whether The National Women’s Law Center says few an employee should be fired. victims of sexual harassment make a formal Dr. Marchese said many instances of sexual complaint — 70 to 90 percent choose not to, harassment can be handled without a lawyer according to surveys done by the nonprofit and internally through the human resources that advocates for women’s rights. department. He also recommended a third “The ones that we hear about in the news party be present.

by Phil Yacuboski

10 NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B10] | 12/27/17

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JANUARY 2018

Measuring Consumer Confidence Mastercard SpendingPulse estimated that the 2017 holiday shopping season will be In November 2017, consumer confithe strongest since 2010. dence hit a high. On its index, it hit 129.5, a “The composition of spending has number that is already higher than numbers changed so much between online sales and in the previous months. retail, so it will be difficult to tell what the The last time it hit these types of highs, it impact will be,” he said. was November of 2000, when it 132.6.

Trebing said the economy in northeastern “We have gone through a cycle,” said Pennsylvania will no doubt see a bump from Dr. Abhijit Roy, professor of marketing at the overall economy doing better. the University of Scranton. “During the past “The regions around it are doing better,” year, the number has been steadily rising he said. “New York, Philadelphia and New during the first year of the Trump presidenJersey are all doing better.” cy. People feel good.”

He said recent numbers show that wareThe consumer confidence index takes housing and manufacturing are up in those into account consumers’ views on the regions, which means a positive impact on economy and what they expect in the next northeast region. six months. The index is a sample of about Dr. Roy said he’s not surprised that the 5,000 randomly chosen households in the numbers are this high.

United States done by The Conference Board “The economy is doing well and people for the past 60 years. are doing good,” he said. “This is how it felt The number is based on a number of fac- in 2008, when the market was going up and tors, including wages and employment. then everything crashed in a span of six to “It’s also a reflection of how the stock nine months. Things can fall pretty fast. I market is doing and the stock market is at certainly don’t want to see that happens.” its all-time high,” he said. “People feel that Some argue it’s the so-called ‘wealth it’s easier to find a job and inflation is in effect’ that is sending consumer confidence check.” so high.

“When consumers are optimistic, busi“People are willing to spend more money nesses are more optimistic,” said Mike because of the additional funds in stock Trebing, a senior economic analyst, at market accounts,” said Chip Baumgardner, the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. an associate professor of business admin“Businesses are then more optimistic about istration at Penn College of Technology. hiring.”

“There is a similar benefit for individuals He said the consumer confidence index is seeking to cash in on various retirement both volatile and fickle. Trebing said econoplans. An individual holding $500,000 in remists typically look at the Michigan Survey tirement funds could easily see an additional and the Survey of Consumer Expectations increase of $100,000 during 2017.” in New York to make a determination about He, too, said much of The Conference consumer confidence.

Board’s estimate is tied to employment “The fed is interested in these (consumer figures. confidence) numbers because we’re always “Even for those who are underemployed trying to know why people are not in the job or left the labor market, things as starting to market and this number indicates people look much better,” he said. “This should creare optimistic about employment,” he said. ate an increase in the rather flat wage rates “We’re hearing from more and more busiof the past decade.” nesses that it’s getting harder and harder to Baumgardner said he believes that Pennfind qualified people, so that’s all positive sylvania’s economy moves with the national news, especially when it comes to employeconomy in general, so he expects the numment numbers.” bers to be similar in this part of the state.

by Phil Yacuboski

NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 2018 11 TS_CNG/ADVERTISING/AD_PAGES [ADB11] | 12/27/17

16:42 | BAIRDATHLE

EDUCATION

BANKING AND FINANCE

LCCC Holds History Conference Clash Of The Goals: Save

For College Or Retirement?

$137.84 a week — $600,000 it doesn’t have to be an either/or decision for $206.76 a week — $900,000 retirement plan participants.

Retirement for you or college for your kids?

Focus on Your Target which financial goal should you focus on the most?

Even while you’re saving for your kids’ college many parents feel conflicted because they want to costs, it’s important to save as much as possible for rehelp their kids get a good college education but know tirement. while your kids will have a number of potenthey need to save for their own retirement years. tial sources of college funding, such as scholarships, while it may not be easy to pull off, it’s important to grants, loans, and part-time employment, you may be Luzerne County Community College recently held its 26th annual history conference, “The Histackle both goals at once and not put off saving for on your own with limited resources for retirement. Your tory of Northeastern Pennsylvania: The Last 200 Years,” at the college’s Educational ConferSocial Security benefits probably won’t be enough to ence Center. The theme of this year’s conference was “African American History.” The confer- retirement. live on comfortably, and few employers offer ence was sponsored by the LCCC social science/history department and the Luzerne County Historical Society. At the history conference, first row, from left, are Aimee E. Newell, Ph.D., High Stakes Battle pensions. Your plan account may be a very Wilkes-Barre, executive director, Luzerne County Historical Society; Chris Patterson, Loganif your kids go to college before you important source of retirement income. ville, Georgia, Gwinnett County Public Schools; Constance E. Wynn, Wilkes-Barre, director, retire, they’re going to need the money contributing more to your retirement Rediscovering Ancestry through Culture and Education and conference presenter and Robert first. So it might seem like common plan may help you achieve your goals.

A. Bowell, 2nd NJ Brigade, 22 U.S.C.T. Second row: Dr. William C. Kashatus, Hunlock Creek, sense to save for college first and then history conference coordinator and presenter and associate professor, social science/history, save for retirement after they’re done Adam D. Shelp, CRPC® Kingston RetireLCCC; Dr. Spencer Crew, Fairfax, Virginia, professor of history, George Mason University and with school. However, that’s a risky ment Group of Janney Montgomery Scott conference presenter and Jim Remsen, Bala Cynwyd, author and conference presenter. approach.

LLC 270 Pierce Street, Kingston, Pa. Call shelp it’s no secret that it costs a lot of (570) 283-8140 or visit www.kingstonretiremoney to go to college these days. And mentgroup.com who knows how much tuitions will increase by the Janney Montgomery Scott LLC is a member NYSE, time your kids are ready to enroll. But even so, you’re FINRA, SIPC. probably going to need a lot more money for your Source/Disclaimer: Some retirement plans also retirement. Your retirement could last well over 20 offer a Roth contribution option. Unlike pretax contribuNow is the perfect time to attend Luzerne. years, inflation will likely increase your costs during tions, Roth contributions do not offer immediate tax Get ready by getting a degree at LCCC. that period, and your retirement health care costs savings. However, qualified Roth distributions are not could be significant. if you put saving for college first, subject to federal income taxes when all requirements With over 100 programs to choose from, you may not have enough time to save for retireare met. classes offered in the day, evening, ment once the tuition bills are paid. instead, set aside Source: DST Systems, Inc. This is a hypothetior over the Internet, all at the area’s lowmoney for both college and retirement. cal example used for illustrative purposes only and est tuition...it’s a simple does not represent any specific investment product. It decision. We offer two year degrees, Your Plan Can Be Your Ally assumes a 6% average annual total return, monthly deone year certificates, and Your employer’s retirement savings plan can help posits into the plan, and monthly compounding. Your shorter diploma Classes beg gin you to save for both goals. Since your plan contribuinvestment performance will be different. Tax-deferred and continuing tions are deducted from your pay before you receive January 16 amounts accumulated in a retirement plan are taxable education programs. it, saving for retirement is convenient. You don’t owe upon withdrawal, unless they represent qualified Roth Enroll today, and federal income taxes on your pretax contributions or distributions. get ready for on any earnings from investing those funds until you Janney Montgomery Scott LLC, its affiliates, and your future. withdraw money from the plan.1 And since you’re its employees are not in the business of providing tax, saving for retirement through your plan, you can regulatory, accounting, or legal advice. These materials focus your saving outside the plan on future college and any tax-related statements are not intended or writcosts. ten to be used, and cannot be used or relied upon, by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding tax penalties.

Set Your Sights on Your Savings Goal Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the if you save, in 30 years you could accumulate: taxpayer’s particular circumstances from an indepen$68.92 a week — $300,000 dent tax advisor. Source: DST Systems, Inc.

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12 NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B12] | 12/27/17

14:11 | GRAHAMTOM

JANUARY 2018

STRaTEGiC PlanninG

How To Develop A More Positive Culture? Positive Focus. they called it the Pygmalion effect. Earl Nightingale the famous motivational speaker from the middle of the 20th Over the years I have seen many great organizations century said that we become what we think about the with a tremendous product line, excellent marketing and most. a strategic vision toward the future, attain only mediocre So, in terms of culture, what are your predominant success because of a lack of positivity embedded in its thoughts when you enter into your office? Are you culture. expecting a good day or a bad day? Do you view your While every organization has a culture, composed of a people as an asset, as revenue generators to your slice of the behavioral attributes and personality of ALL its organization, or pains and liabilities that simply need to be employees, management needs to understand that they dealt with? are the “keeper of the keys” of that culture, and it is their Your thoughts on the subject will translate into your responsibility to drive and steer it in a direction that will behaviors in other words your daily actions. Those actions achieve the company’s long run goals. After many coach- will be perceived by your employees, and they will return ing discussions with leaders and departmental managers like behavior in response to your actions. Thus, if your I’ve noticed that there is a pervasive feeling of frustration. perception of the workplace is negative and you behave as It revolves around management feeling as if they cannot such your employees will counter your negative behavior do anything with the culture of the organization except with their negative behavior. As managers we need to live in it. Since the average manager spends more than 40 understand that when it comes to developing a positive percent of their waking hours in their place of employculture there is no dress rehearsal, every day you’re on ment, and that place of employment houses its culture, Broadway; there is no scrimmage, every day is the Super and the culture can be viewed as the company’s “environ- Bowl. And, when you come into your area, all eyes are on ment,” why would a manager (or an employee for that you and watching. Expect to see their reflection of what matter — TURNOVER!) want to subject themselves to a you show your people. hostile environment for such a great period of time?

The big question then is are we showing our people The first thing we need to do as leaders of our orgasomething positive or are we showing our people somenization is to understand that we do in fact have control thing negative? If you work in a negative culture you need over at least portions of our culture. Look, if your physical to ask yourself what am I doing that may be causing the environment is cold, and you don’t like cold weather, negativity to be pervasive. You can then determine actions it’s ridiculous to say that you can’t control that: you can to eradicate that, so that your employees will then begin to move! We can also control the physical environment of act in a new paradigm based upon your new behavior. our workspace.

It really is that simple, but to do it is not easy. I know At this point you may be asking how. I’ll give it to I mentioned this in other articles and I mentioned this in you in one word: focus. Every situation has both a good many consulting and coaching situations, I would love side and the bad side; positive attributes, and negative to see organizations have a corporate culture committee, attributes. The question is not if something is good and/ whose responsibility it is to take the cultural temperature or bad, the question is what part of the situation are you of the organization. Until that happens in your organization allowing to permeate your perception? Let me give you however, focus on the positive attributes of your company an example of good and bad in the same situation. Many and your employees, communicates that positiveness people don’t know that Jerry Garcia, the famous Grateful and see what changes occur.

Dead guitarist who died 1995, had several joints of his No guarantee, but I bet you’ll be heading in the right fingers amputated. That was bad. But the resolve that he direction! developed to become a world-famous guitarist and create Goodbye NortheAsterN PeNNsylvANiA. quite a giant dent in the surface of rock ‘n’ roll, well, that I have been a lifelong resident of Northeastern was good. One more example from rock history, Tony Pennsylvania born, raised, and still living in Pittston City.

Iommi, the lead guitarist for Black Sabbath also had two On January 17, 2018 my lovely wife and I will be moving fingers on his left hand partially amputated. Instead of both are businesses to Tamarindo, Costa Rica along the that incident destroying his career, he simply became a Pacific Northwest of that country. left-handed guitarist, and rose to fame.

This has been a 10-year plan and the fulfillment of In corporate culture just as in our personal life what that plan is a testament to the power of goal setting. we focus on tends to become reality. When we think Let me explain: I’m in the process of publishing my about something we give it an order, a ranking. We begin third book called “Provocative Leadership.”

The book to create an authenticity revolving around our predomiis a philosophical treatise on the underpinnings of what nant thoughts. The ancient Greeks had a name for this,

by Biagio W. Sciacca

makes great leaders. It draws heavily from philosophy as well as literature and combines that information in, I hope, an interesting and informative application of modern leadership.

The book lends itself very well to a training program.

And I put together a three-day training program on Provocative Leadership. But something was missing! After speaking with several CEOs and executives about the training program the missing piece was application! Thus, I wanted the training to be held on a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, with Tuesday and Thursday revolving around speaking to businesses that have developed a great culture of leadership.

I guess I could have done the training around here and tapped into the talent of local companies (which there are many). But, I have found that the book is so unique I want it the training to mirror that uniqueness.

I have been traveling to Costa Rica for over a decade.

I am very familiar with the people, the culture and the various climates. I inked a deal with several local all-inclusive resorts, and, while Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be spent in the classroom, Tuesday morning will be spent suspended from bridges atop a tropical rain forest, and Tuesday afternoon will be spent at a coffee plantation.

Interviews with the owners of both business will occur.

Thursday will be spent busing into Nicaragua where more businesses will be toured. Saturday will be an optional day where individuals may board a sailing ship for sunset cruise and a five-course dinner or go horseback riding, white water rafting, zip lining and bathing in a volcanic spring.

At the conclusion of the training program individuals will have packed in their toolbox manifolds new tools on leadership to bring back to their workplace.

As I was designing this program and traveling back and forth to Costa Rica I became very aware how much I love the warm weather. My wife and I talked about it, she was all in, so we purchased a condominium in Costa Rica and will be making that our home. My wife’s business which designs and produces custom headbands for fashion and athletic wear has just changed names from Sewing in Stitches to Monkey Business Headbands.

Both her company and mine, Intelligent Motivation Inc., will donate a portion of its profits to maintaining ecology and the native wildlife.

Although I will no longer be a member of the Northeast Pennsylvania business community I would hope that you would still consider me as one and that the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal would still use my knowledge and expertise in the written word.

Biagio W. Sciacca is an author, a former professor and a consultant. More information is available at Intelligentmotivationinc.com

STaTE Aerial fireworks legal in Pennsylvania in move to raise state revenue

by Aaron Aupperlee, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (TNS)

A change to Pennsylvania law quietly inserted in the state tax bill this year will be anything but quiet.

Aerial fireworks, the kind that shoot up into the air, go bang, shimmer and sparkle, even bottle rockets, were once banned in Pennsylvania, but are now legal thanks to the state tax bill passed at the end of October.

Before the change, which took effect Oct. 30, people in Pennsylvania could only buy “safe and sane” fireworks, ones that don’t fly or explode, like fountains, sparklers and spinners.

Ken Schuchman, who owns three Fireworks Outlet stores in Monroe County, told the Pocono Record that he suspects fireworks will be a popular gift this season .

“For the first time ever people can buy fireworks for Christmas and buy them for stocking stuffers,” Schuchman told the newspaper. “The fact that it’s legal, a lot of people are going to buy.”

State lawmakers changed the law to raise more money for the state. The state estimates the change will generate $2.6 million this fiscal year and $9.3 million next fiscal year.

The bill put a new tax of 12 percent on consumer fireworks in addition to the sales and use taxes already in place. Stores that want to sell aerial fireworks must also pay $2,500 for a license application and then an additional $7,500 to $20,000 for license, depending on the store’s size. A license application for a temporary store — popular around the Fourth of July — is $1,000. The license costs $3,000.

Not everyone is happy with the law change.

Glenn Matra, an owner of Bada Boom Fireworks in the Poconos, called the tax an exorbitant amount of money and worried that allowing temporary shops to sell the fireworks will hurt his brick-and-mortar store.

“I don’t see where it’s going to be beneficial.

I believe that is going to be the bad thing,” Matra said. “Now anyone can just pop up a tent for two weeks and not have the overhead that we have.”

Aaron Aupperlee is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at aaupperlee@tribweb.com, 412-336-8448 or via Twitter @tinynotebook.

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FOCUS ON WILKES-BARRE

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ing Arts represent some of the opportunities that entice people downtown.

Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the “The thing we’re working with now with city of Wilkes-Barre continues to demonstrate the riverfront park committee along with its resiliency as a comeback city. the Luzerne County Community College and After Hurricane Agnes’ devastating flood- Kings and Wilkes is to do more programming ing in 1972, the city began digging out from on the riverfront,” said Wampole. “We believe not only the mud, but also the destructive that will give people a reason to come and economic repercussions left behind. enjoy what has become a beautiful area down Today, its revitalization efforts continue to there.” transform the city into a vibrant community In 2017, progress continued on Diamond and strong and evolving economic engine.

City Partnership’s (DCP) 2015 five-year acOne native resident taps into his passion tion plan to fuel the downtown’s renaissance, to explain some of those ongoing efforts. including expanding its innovation district.

“Good things continue to happen,” said “It’s a hub for business startup activity Ted Wampole, Wilkes-Barre’s city adminand entrepreneurship,” said Larry Newman, istrator. “Probably the biggest thing we’ve DCP’s executive director. “That’s a logical been able to accomplish this year is Guard goal because downtown is already northeastInsurance, a subsidy of Berkshire-Hathaway, ern Pennsylvania’s largest single concenhas formally announced that they will remain trated employment center. There are more in downtown Wilkes-Barre and purchase a than 13,000 people who work in downtown facility right on Public Square where it will be Wilkes-Barre each day.” the headquarters and home office of Guard Guard Insurance’s recent expansion anInsurance.” nouncement and other efforts will add to that The company will add another 300 to 400 number. jobs to the downtown workforce, a growing “Guard already represents $29 million in trend rippling through the downtown. annual wage impact on the local impact and “We still get continued growth out of that impact is only going to grow with the a company called Pepperjam, which is an new jobs associated with the home office internet marketing company,” Wampole said. expansion that was announced at the end “Their headquarters is downtown as well. of October,” Newman said. “Fifteen years We continue to see the growth of upscale ago downtown Wilkes-Barre had almost no apartment living in downtown Wilkes-Barre startup companies. Today the downtown with developers coming in and taking old houses a third of all of the technology jobs in buildings, whether they are office buildings the metropolitan area.” or bank buildings, and converting them into Additional job growth occurred in 2017 luxury apartments. They get rented as fast as with Pepperjam and other technology-based they’re built.” and legacy companies located in the city, a In addition to the expansion of jobs and reality expected to continue in 2018. living quarters, special events and other “2017 saw the first of Wilkes-Barre Conactivities provide dining, shopping and nect pitch sessions where we actually had entertainment opportunities. A two-day four different regional entrepreneurs presentold-fashion holiday market event with rides ing their business ideas to potential investors on a horse-drawn carriage, crafts and other in the Think Center located here in downvendors, Midtown Village holiday pop-up town,” said Newman. “Some of them are shops and 150 to 200 events scheduled each already here but it’s part of establishing the year at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performby Kathy Ruff

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JANUARY 2018

Please see Growth in WB, Page 15

FROM PAGE 14

entrepreneurial ecosystem them that we need to have in place in our region if we want to be a welcoming location for new companies and the businesses associated with that.”

On an academic front, Wilkes wraps up renovation of one of its older science buildings to become the new home of its school of engineering.

“That helps to strengthen Wilkes’ positioning itself as the region’s research university,” Newman said. “Over at Kings, they’ve initiated their own engineering program in civil and mechanical engineering and they are getting ready to start construction on the rehab of a long-vacant downtown office building to house the civil and mechanical engineering programs.”

Downtown, the city’s arts and entertainment district also saw transition in 2017.

“The big news in that this year was the relocation of Wilkes’ Sardoni Art Gallery,” Newman said. “This year they located the gallery to a newly-constructed space that doubled the size of the gallery and put it right on South Main. They are really helping us to position the second block of South Main Street as downtown’s arts district. That’s something we’ve been working on and will continue to work on in 2018.”

Continued work in 2018 includes other development investments.

“There are dozens of new apartments that are hitting the market and being leased and purchased so that’s a trend that certainly gained a lot of activity this year and I think will continue,” said John Augustine, III, president and CEO of Penns Northeast, Pittston.

“We have a growing tech sector in the downtown. There are three different startup spaces or incubator space for small tech companies.

Along with both Wilkes and Kings continuing to invest in the downtown, whether that’s a new art gallery or streetscape project, I think you’ll continue to see that investment.”

Outside the city limits, Augustine expects industrial growth to continue.

“One of the leading sectors this year and will continue to grow is new e-commerce distribution market,” he said, citing Chewy. com’s location of a fulfillment center in Hanover Township, creating 700 new jobs.

“There will be an announcement very soon of two other well-known large companies bringing another thousand jobs. That is a trend that we’re also going to see continue as places like the Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia and

specifically New York and New Jersey seem to be growing unaffordable for businesses.

With the real estate shrinking, Northeastern Pennsylvania is a great opportunity for those companies.”

Those e-commerce distribution companies will precede potentially 10 others showing interest in the area — including manufacturing, home goods, jewelry and electronics companies.

Augustine estimates developers currently are building more than a few million square feet of new industrial sites to handle growing demand for easy access to the area’s highway infrastructure.

“We’re seeing a lot of increase in leads and activity from outside of the area, from New York and New Jersey, as well as international companies starting to take a look not only at the United States and Pennsylvania but specifically northeastern Pennsylvania,” Augustine said. “That’s another trend that I believe started this year and will continue into ‘18.”

Augustine and others see the value of and continue to work on attracting quality jobs as well as training workers for those jobs.

“There are a lot of new programs being launched under development to better train our workforce for successful entry in advance manufacturing jobs as well as health care jobs and other high-paying careers,” said Eric J. Esoda, president and CEO of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC). “We realized as a city that it’s not necessarily the lack of jobs that’s our challenge but it’s the difficulty that employers are having in finding a wellskilled, capable ready-to-work workforce. I’m seeing more and more innovative programs being developed, launched and successful… to make sure we have a ready workforce for the companies that are here and we hope to attract.”

Area educational facilities including Luzerne County Community College and Johnson College offer training programs for immediate entry into advance manufacturing careers, a potential catalyst for attracting more of those industries.

Esoda also sees existing manufacturers now making investments in new technologies and equipment.

“We’re happy what we are seeing in the Crestwood Industrial Park,” he said. “Our manufacturers there are making investment in capital expenditures that will keep those

companies moving forward. They are also looking to hire in both Humboldt and Crestwood (industrial parks).”

The efforts, partnerships and collaboration between the city’s educational facilities, industry and economic development organizations have and will continue to transform Wilkes-Barre in 2018.

“The area is going through an amazing economic renaissance right now,” said Wico van Genderen, president and CEO of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry. “More and more businesses are seeing us as a solid business investment from an infrastructure, supply, academic, capital and workforce perspective.”

Van Genderen sees that investment continuing with remodeling of the train station and continued development of the riverfront area, the old Sterling Hotel lot and other buildings in the downtown area.

Ted Wampole summarizes what he sees “We’re a city on the comeback and we’re doing everything we can to improve the tax base, improve the financial position of the city,” he said. “We prefer to look at it as a city on the comeback with a lot of promise and a lot of possibilities.”

WB BIG GOALS Six ‘big goals’ in Downtown Five-Year Action Plan begun in 2015, continues to fuel revitalization and development in Wilkes-Barre’s downtown: BIG GOAL #1: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a safe, clean and attractive place to live, work, shop, and visit.

BIG GOAL #2: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s college neighborhood.

BIG GOAL #3: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s “walk-to-everything” urban neighborhood of choice.

BIG GOAL #4: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s “Innovation District:” its hub for business, startup activity and entrepreneurship.

BIG GOAL #5: Downtown’s historic architecture, walkability, riverfront and colleges will be the cornerstones of its enhanced visitor experience.

BIG GOAL #6: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a regional center of arts, culture, dining and entertainment.

Source: Diamond City Partnership

A proud community partner with the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Commerce - accomplishing a century of growth together.

Here’s to the next 100 years!

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MARKETING

Five Reasons Your Company’s Brand May Be Struggling To Succeed era brands like Nikon and Canon and, ultimately, even smartphones. A similar scenario could be Weak business premise — well told. Pets.com playing itself out in the automobile business. Tesla and etoys.com exploded into the minds of consum- is not just an electric car upstart, it’s leading the ers in the late ’90s with compelling marketing cam- technology of driving in ways that have Ford, GM paigns that were funny and pulled at the and other brands looking over their heartstrings of parents and pet owners. shoulders.

But, the underlying brands were really Riding the same brand strategy for ill-conceived e-commerce models, with too long. Whether it’s for ego reasons by no special features. Both brands failed leadership, as in, “I know what’s best,” within a few years. The cute Pets.com or the classic, “we’ve always done it this sock puppet remains stuck in the minds way,” failing to evolve a brand can leave of many consumers to this day, but the a company on the road to nowhere. taylor brand behind it is doggone.

(Now-defunct Pontiac had 25 straight Using stock solutions. Ever get that years of declining sales, but just wouldn’t sinking feeling of seeing your competitor use the stop making the same lookalike cars as other GM same photo or a similar tagline to yours? If you’re models.) Marlboro has had an exceptionally long telling your brand story with $5 images and clichéd run with the macho escapism of the Marlboro Man messages like “the brand you can trust” or “we riding the open range and smoking their cigs. But, provide solutions,” you will struggle to separate before that ad campaign positioned the brand as a your brand from your competition, no matter how he-man choice, Marlboro was marketed exclusively good it is at the core. There’s no such thing as a to women and employed the slogan, “Mild as May.” stock brand. Relying primarily on commonly-used Apple launched itself as a David of brands, but images and messages just won’t work. has become a Goliath in the last 15 years. Along Trying to be all things to all people. Even conthe way, they’ve had many slogans (and sometimes sistently successful brands will try to do too much. none), but they have become far less contra and far Case in point: McDonald’s. From 2013 through more mainstream.

2014, Mickey D’s had eight quarters of overall It’s worth noting also that Apple has avoided the negative sales growth. After some deep introspec- other pitfalls listed here, by applying their technoltion, they realized a key issue was that their menu ogy and insights as a computer maker to music had grown to more than 100 items, which was players, mobile phones, TVs and more. They are a slowing service and depressing overall sales. premium choice that doesn’t appeal to everyone.

After trimming their items to a more manageable And you will not find a stock photo anywhere number of choices, they were able to reverse the on their website, although you will find plenty of sales slide. brands who would like to imitate them. (For your Being the leading brand in a failing category. brand’s sake, don’t do that, either.)

Remember Kodak and Polaroid? These brands still exist, but are far less powerful and dominant. Both Dave Taylor is president of Taylor Brand Group, fell into the trap of having strong products that a company that focuses on developing brand were undercut by new technology, namely digital strategy and ongoing brand marketing. Based in photography. Both companies tried to develop Lancaster, Taylor Brand Group works with national digital cameras, but invested too little, too late and and regional clients. He can be reached at 717-393had their primary products made obsolete by cam- 7343. Visit taylor brand group.com.

by Dave Taylor

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JANUARY 2018

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The Middle Class

by Howard J. Grossman, AICP

n For 15 million seniors, Social Security is all that stands in the way of poverty. n Among seniors who live in nursing homes, 62 percent do not have enough money to cover the cost of their care. n Nearly half of all families do not have a single dollar put away in a retirement account.

How can the middle class change from its current problem to become a more significant demographic in this region and elsewhere? Are there trends which show the difficult settings which hamper the direction and trends which impact this important population grouping? The middle class represents the largest setting of households which form the basis for data analysis Debt and student loan drive nationally and is the heart of this economy here and elseregional life. In a book writwhere and these issues prevail ten by Sen. Elizabeth Warren across the board and require (D - Mass.) titled “This Fight positive action. is Our Fight,” this trend is The unemployment rate for dramatically shown. The people 16 to 24 years old who 337-page document shows are actively looking for work her views but, also point to is 12 percent — almost three grossman statistical trends which have time higher than their older literally driven down the counterparts. middle class as a representation of the The $1.4 trillion burden of student United States. Here are some of the loan debt that is being carried by those point driven home by Warren, which who went to college is unlike any in have applicability to this region. history, and the amounts keep climbing at a rate of $100 billion a year. n Nearly one half of Americans For the first time in modern Americannot pay their bills on time. can history, more people between 18 and 35 live with their parents than have n A lower proportion of Americans a place of their own. own their own homes than at any time The odds that a young person will in the past half century (63.5 percent). earn more than their parents have gone n The typical man working full time from a near certainty a generation ago ears less today that his counterpart to a coin flip today. did in 1972.

Despite their better education, ton Nearly one third of the country’s day’s millennials earn about 30 percent adult population (76 million Ameriless than boomers earned at the same cans) describe themselves as either time in their lives. “struggling to get by” of “just getting At the same time, the number of by.” grandparents raising grandchildren or relative caregivers is increasing so that In retirement years, the data is just nationally, between four to six million as discouraging, as typified as follows: children of all ages are being raised n Bankruptcy filings for people by their grandparents directly. This is 65 and older have increased almost a trend very much misunderstood by fourfold since 1991. many people. This is not pointed out in the Warren book.

lot. This program helped her gain knowledge on permits, insurance and negotiation. Currently, she Mary Beck, owner of Central Station Maronly has positive things to say about her business ketplace and Antiques, recently held her grand and so do the customers. She is very appreciaopening on Small Business Saturday. Central Sta- tive of her customers and of the support from the tion Marketplace and Antiques is an emporium of other small businesses around her. antiques and much more located in Scranton.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Beck moved to Louisiana with her husband Ed and son Jay. Unfortunately, Hurricane Katrina affected Beck and her family, so they decided to move to Little Rock, Arkansas. When her son went off to college, Beck and her husband started a side business as a vendor in Little Rock to help pay for college. Being a vendor was not uncommon because emporiums and antique malls are very popular in the south.

When Beck and her family moved back to Pennsylvania, they couldn’t find a place that would allow them to rent a booth to sell their items and not have to monitor it all day. They decided to open up their own store. Since they had operated this type of business, they took that experience and opened Central Station Marketplace and Antiques. Since Beck has worked her whole life, she never thought of opening up a business she Left Micole Madrazo WEC intern presents was passionate about. Her family was inspired by Mary Beck certificate of achievement for the the south and is very happy with their decision of StartUP program.

by Sydney Garofolo and Carolyn Giordano

opening up their own emporium. It is now a fulltime job and the family loves it.

So what exactly does Central Station Marketplace and Antiques store offer? The store rents spots or “booths” to different vendors monthly.

These vendors sell all different items and antiques: new, old or repurposed. Every month the vendor has the option of renewing their booth or leaving it. Vendors can get different size booths depending on how much they want to sell. A huge perk about the Central Station Marketplace is that their vendors can come and go as they please. They also offer services like art classes that are offered twice a month with art instructor “Simply Sheila Studio.” They have had art classes for adults and for children with a “Mommy and Me” class. Customers can call, walk in or sign-up online if they are interested in the art classes. Central Station Marketplace also sells clothes but only new to be respectful of the goodwill.

Before Central Station Marketplace opened, Beck said it was very difficult to find the perfect place for her business. Even though there were some bumps in the road, Beck’s participation in the start-up program offered by the Women’s Entrepreneurship Center, a program of the Small Business Development Center, helped her out a

Beck has many plans for the Central Station Marketplace. She wants to fill up every single spot or “booth” in the store, and gain a larger customer base. Beck is inspired to one day open a warehouse to accommodate more vendors, give a better rate and have a big market.

For women entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs in general, Beck lent us a few pieces of advice.

Beck said, “Don’t give up — really don’t give up”.

She urges entrepreneurs to be persistent. When she was looking for places to start her business, people wouldn’t work with her or they would “not take a chance” on her. Even though it took her six to seven months to find one, she never gave up and that perseverance helped her in the long run.

Her business is doing great and she cares for her vendors and wants the absolute best for them!

Check out all Central Station Marketplace and Antiques has to offer at Keyser Oak Shopping Center, Scranton, PA, and on Facebook at Central Station Marketplace and Antiques.

SMALL BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT ON ...

Plow & Hearth

advertorial

CELEBRATING WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS

Most of the food that we’ve already discussed is only available in a Plow & Hearth store. We also carry sports-themed décor merchandise — our Moosic, PA Yankee fans love to come and visit to pick up a (570) 344-5651 garden flag, stepping stone, or doormat to show www.plowandhearth.com their team pride. Harley-Davidson aficionados Member since 2017 should be happy to hear that we started carrying liFrom its beginnings as a small country store nearly 40 censed products this year. As our store continues to adapt years ago, Plow & Hearth has focused on providing exemto a changing retail market, we have found that customers plary customer service while bolstering the philosophy of respond to unique items they can only find here — as a “country living.” While our area’s Plow & Hearth store may result, our store-only merchandise continues to expand be part of a larger national family-run corporation, it hasn’t and evolve as the seasons change. lost its home-grown values of serving the customer’s needs and making every individual who comes through Do you feel that people tend to prefer online or the doors feel at home. “We treat our customers like in-person shopping? neighbors and friends,” said store manager Todd Grippo.

Our products are best experienced in person, so we “We offer only products we would use ourselves, at fair do have customers visiting us daily to see the catalog prices.” “come to life.” We offer online shoppers the opportunity to come to the store, try or see the item they are interested in What makes Plow & Hearth different from other, and take it right home. We also offer customers free shipsimilar stores? ping to the store, without obligation, in order to provide a Plow & Hearth began in 1980 in Madison, Virginia, risk-free shopping experience. While online shopping may but it has grown to include five other brands: Wind have its perks, people still really enjoying visiting the store & Weather, Hearth Song, Magic Cabin, Re Use It and and getting the Plow & Hearth experience.

Problem Solvers. We offer unique, high-quality products for home, hearth, yard and garden. The Plow & Hearth What seems to be the next trend for home décor in family of brands also has a growing list of retail stores 2018? in several states. As we have grown, we have remained Our retail buyers tell me that spring and summer 2018 dedicated to the same principles that have guided us from are going to bring a lot of color and fun to both indoor the beginning: honesty, integrity and, most importantly, and outdoor spaces. Some common themes include: our commitment to customer service. flamingos, palm trees and pineapples. You will see all of these themes on pillows, beverage cups, outdoor statuary, Which items do customers tend to gravitate to the garden flags, spinners — which gives plenty of ideas for most? our customers to choose from.

Our best-selling product, by far, is our gourmet Virginia peanuts. We offer a large variety of flavors — How has your Chamber membership helped your from our popular butter-toasted sweet peanuts, to our dill business? pickle peanuts. Our customers also enjoy sampling other While we are still very new to the Chamber, we love gourmet food items — particularly our line of Stonewall the opportunities to spread the word about Plow & Hearth.

Kitchen jams, jellies, mustards and dips. Our store offers Being able to be part of the different off-site events the a Plow & Hearth labeled line of salsas — a crowd favorite Chamber may offer, gives us the opportunity to show our is our Chesapeake Bay blue crab salsa. After a cold winter, face, give out some catalogs and coupons and let people our customers visit to refresh their gardens and yards with know who we are. We also used one of the Chamber’s solar lighting, garden flags and a variety of other outdoor member benefits by having our first-ever radio comdécor. mercial air in November to help us promote an in-store event. We are very excited to see what other opportunities What does your store offer that can’t be found on are in store.

Plow and Hearth’s website?

Sydney Garofolo and Carolyn Giordano are University of Scranton Women’s Entrepreneurship Center (WEC) interns who work under the supervision of Donna Simpson, Consultant Manager.

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PERSONNEL FILE PERSONNEL ADMAR ConstRuCtion EquipMEnt & suppliEs

The largest independently owned construction equipment rental and sales company in New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio hired Michael Miller as sales representative.

Miller is responsible for providing equipment and supplies to customers in the Lehigh Valley region. miller Miller earned his bachelor’s degree in communications marketing from Villanova University. He resides in Hellertown with his wife, Margaret, and their family.

AlliED sERviCEs intEgRAtED HEAltH systEM

Chris langley was promoted to assistant vice president of information systems. A 16-year employee, Langley will play an important leadership role as the nonprofit health system continues to lead the way in implementing and maximizing langley information systems for the benefit of patients, medical professionals and staff.

Langley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering from Wilkes University before joining Allied as an intern in 1999. He became director of outcomes analysis in 2006.

Recently, he served as assistant vice president of systems improvement.

Under his supervision, the outcomes analysis team has assisted with outpatient rehabilitation transformation, implementing and monitoring best practices in inpatient rehabilitation, and is currently working on home health continuous improvements. Under his leadership, the information systems and system improvements/outcome analysis departments will be unified as the newly formed information systems department, for the benefit of the Integrated Health System.

Langley lives in Kingston with his wife, Amy, and daughters, Holly, Olivia and Gwenn.

Monique Jones, B.A., MDiv., joined as spiritual and bereavement counselor for Allied

20 NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B20] | 12/27/17

CAMElBACK REsoRt

of the National Patient Safety Foundation. She is a current member of the USP Compounding The Pocono Mountains resort announced Expert Committee and chairs the subcommitthe promotion of Brian Czarnecki to the role tee on hazardous drugs. of chief operating officer.

Kienle resides in Laflin with her husband, Czarnecki’s previous role was that of vice Kurt. She received her pharmacy degree from president of sales and marketing for the the former Philadelphia College of Pharmacy popular destination, which has become a leading ski and four-season destination in the and Science in 1975 and a master’s degree in public administration from Marywood UniverNortheast. sity in Scranton. She completed an executive Czarnecki will oversee Camelback Mountain, Camelbeach Waterpark, Camelback Lodge fellowship in patient safety from Virginia & Aquatopia Indoor Waterpark, and Camelback Commonwealth University and is an adjunct associate professor at Wilkes University in Adventures while also leading the marketWilkes-Barre. ing, advertising and brand direction for the new H2OBX Waterpark, Outer Banks, North ClAssiC pRopERtiEs Carolina, which opened this summer, and the Kellyann Kenny joined Kartrite Hotel & Indoor Waterpark, Monticello, the Kingston office of the New York, which will debut December 2018. real estate firm.

Kenny A native of Scranton, Czarnecki’s career in grew up in Hazleton and the hospitality industry spans 25 years. resides in Swoyersville.

CARDinAl HEAltH innovAtivE She earned a bachelor’s BERgER FAMily DEAlERsHips DElivERy solutions degree in psychology The dealership has University of the Scifrom Misericordia Uniannounced the retirement kenny ences presented patricia versity and has worked of sales manager James Clancy Kienle, Rph, in the mental health field M. Kennedy. Kennedy has MpA, FAsHp, with the for the last 10 years. She been sales manager of the annual Alumnus Award recently completed her Buick, GMC and Cadillac at its alumni reunion Oct. real estate education from franchises for 19 years.

21. Kienle, director of Pa. Real Estate Academy He is a 1969 graduate accreditation and medicain Kingston and joined the of Hazleton High School kennedy kienle tion safety at the delivery company for the trainand received a Bachelor solutions company, was ing environment offered of Arts degree from East Stroudsburg University in 1973 in history and selected to receive the Alumnus Award for her throughout the company. contributions “in outstanding fashion to the Janet nagley, an Old government studies. He also graduated from nagley professions, to science, and/or to mankind.”

Forge resident, joined the General Motors Sales Academy in 1977.

Over the course of her career, Kienle has the Kingston office. She His accolades include Honors Buick Royal Purple Council, Outstanding Sales & Customer served on the board of directors of the Ameri- recently completed her real estate educacan Society of Health-System Pharmacists tion at Pennsylvania Real Estate Academy in Satisfaction, and Pontiac Sales Guild Top 10 (ASHP) and as president of the Pennsylvania Kingston. percent of the country with 100 percent CusSociety of Hospital Pharmacists (PSHP). She tomer Satisfaction.

CoMMonwEAltH HEAltH Kennedy continually advanced his educa- is a fellow of ASHP, was named pharmacist Urologist Michael Campenni, D.o., joined of the year by PSHP, and the recipient of the tion in his profession. Most recently, he was the medical staff of Tyler certified by General Motors as sales manager distinguished achievement award in hospital Memorial Hospital, where and institutional practice from the American for Buick, GMC, Cadillac, internet manager, he will see patients and Pharmaceutical Association Academy of dealer business development manager, perform minor surgical General Motors CPO manager and technology Pharmacy Practice and Management, and the procedures. Campenni distinguished leadership award from ASHP. expert. will have office hours She has served on the pharmacotherapy He is married to the former Thelma Petz, on the third floor of the and they have two sons, LCDR James Kennedy specialty council of the Board of Pharmahospital. A Pittston native of Bremerton, Wash., and Lt. Patrick Kennedy ceutical Specialties, the Pennsylvania Patient and longtime urologist Safety Authority, the hospital professional of Palmdale, Calif. The Kennedys also have Campenni and technical advisory committee of the Joint in the Wilkes-Barre area, three grandchildren. he earned a bachelor’s Commission, and on the board of governors Services Hospice. Jones brings more than 25 years of experience in human services to her new role. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Chicago State University and a Master of Divinity from Trinity International University in Deerfield, Ill. She completed her clinical pastoral education at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville.

Over the years, Jones has helped many families navigate the stages of bereavement. She looks Jones forward to integrating her background in psychology and spirituality to offer hospice patients and their families support as they make the journey through end-of-life care. Jones lives in Bloomsburg.

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PERSONNEL FILE degree from St. Joseph’s University, Philadelphia, and a medical degree from Midwestern University/Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, Downers Grove, Ill. He completed a urology residency at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Douglas Coslett, M.D., chief medical officer at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, was appointed committee chairman for the Community Health Systems Formulary Management Committee. Coslett was appointed to the COSLETT corporate-level committee in May. The committee oversees medicine-related issues throughout the CHS network.

FiDelity Bank

lawrence Crimi has joined the bank as vice president, trust and investment relationship manager. Crimi comes to the bank with a longstanding and successful career in banking, providing high-net-worth clients with wealth management solutions.

A resident of JefCrimi ferson Twp., Crimi has amassed almost 50 years of banking experience with proven leadership in all aspects of the banking industry. Throughout his career, he has served multiple financial entities as business relationship manager, managing director and wealth management, as well as working in private banking and other areas of business development. In his new role, Crimi will serve as a trusted financial adviser managing personal and business finances for bank clients and providing them with opportunities for wealth management, savings and investments.

GeisinGer

Professional Orthopaedic Associates, Scranton’s long-standing orthopedic practice in Lackawanna County, will join the health services organization.

Board certified orthopedic surgeons John Doherty Jr., M.D., theodore tomaszewski, M.D., kevin Colleran, M.D., Jeffrey Gillette, D.O. and board certified rheumatologist Chad

Walker, D.O., will become Geisinger physicians and faculty members of the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute effective Jan. 1. The practice’s 52 employees, including administrator Janet Brier and a qualified team of nurse practitioners, physician assistants and physical and occupational therapists will also become Geisinger employees effective Jan. 1.

The newly organized institute will remain at the Ice Box Complex at 3 W. Olive St., specializing in orthopedic surgery (knee, hip and shoulder joint replacement, arthroscopy, sports medicine and fracture care) as well as rheumatology (arthritis, autoimmune disorders and osteoporosis). On-site radiology services and physical therapy are also offered.

All inpatient surgeries scheduled after Jan. 1 will be performed in the new operating suites at Geisinger Community Medical Center, located less than two miles away. The practice will also continue outpatient surgeries at the North East Surgery Center in Dickson City.

Geisinger will invest $1.5 million in the practice to add new technology and equipment. thulashie sivarajah, M.D., an infectious disease specialist, has joined the medical staff at Wyoming Valley Medical Center.

Infectious disease specialists are trained to diagnose and treat a wide variety of infections in adults and adolescents.

Board certified in SiVArAJAH internal medicine, Sivarajah earned her medical degree from American University of Antigua College of Medicine, Antigua and completed an internal medicine residency at Interfaith Medicine Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. She completed an infectious disease fellowship at Winthrop University Hospital, Mineola, N.Y. ron Beer, chief administrative officer for the health system’s Northeast Region, has been named chairman of the 2018 Northeast Pa. Heart Walk, set for Saturday, April 28, at PNC Field in Moosic.

In his current role since 2016, Beer is responsible for clinical enterprise initiatives throughout Northeast Pennsylvania, BEEr

including Geisinger Wyoming Valley, Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre, Geisinger Community Medical Center and Geisinger Marworth. He joined in 2013 as the vice president of operations at Geisinger Wyoming Valley. In 2014 he was promoted to chief administrative officer for Geisinger Wyoming Valley and Geisinger South Wilkes-Barre.

In addition to his service to the American Heart Association and other civic organizations, he is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and an adjunct professor of King’s College Master’s Degree Program. thomas neal has been appointed chief executive officer of Commonwealth Health Berwick Hospital Center. Neal joined the hospital in September as interim CEO. More than 130 of the health system’s caregivers were honored for being named “the best” by the patients they serve.

Providers — including physicians, physician assistants and certified registered nurse practitioners — were recognized for ranking in the top 10 percent in patient experience nationally at the health system’s annual Top Patient Experience clinicians awards dinner.

Among the 139 clinicians honored, three were spotlighted for exemplary work — receiving established awards for going above and beyond when it comes to compassionate patient care.

Michael a. kovalick, D.O., family medicine physician, Geisinger Dallas, and kathleen Marie noss, D.O., pediatrician, Geisinger Partners in Pediatrics, Pittston, received KOVALiCK the Victor J. Marks Award for best primary care and outpatient specialty physician, respectively. The award was established in 2002 to honor Dr. Victor Marks, who served as the health system’s interim CEO from 2000 to 2001, NOSS and his commitment to making patients the primary focus of the health system. Recipients of the award are identified by patients as “the best of our best.” amy J. Patynski, certified physician

assistant, Geisinger Medical Center, received the Christina Appleman Award, given to the health system’s advanced practitioner achieving the highest overall care provider section on the patient satisfaction survey.

The award is named in honor of Christina Appleman, certified registered nurse practitioner, and is given to the advanced practitioner for achieving the highest overall care provider section score for the system.

Providers were identified for the honor by results of patient satisfaction surveys. Clinicians were compared to approximately 60 percent of all other health care organizations throughout the country that use Press Ganey surveys.

Locally, the 90th percentile winners in the Northeast are: Christian adonizio, M.D., Joseph Bannon, M.D., Christine Cabell, M.D., stephanie Cabello, M.D., Fernando Carlos, M.D., Jose Castillo, M.D., angela Deantonio, M.D., Jean torello Denion, timothy Farrell, M.D., Marcel Favetta, M.D., John Gardner, M.D., Caroline Derichemond, CrnP, Megan Harris, Pa-C, loraine Heller, D.O., Christopher Holtz, D.O., Megan kelly, Pa-C, James klena, M.D., David kolessar, M.D., Michael kovalick, D.O., kara levandoski, Pa-C, Paul long, M.D., laura lunger, CrnP, karen

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Lurito, M.D., Richard Martin, M.D., William McLaughlin, D.O., Justine Metcho, D.P.M., Kathleen Noss, D.O., Frank Olshemski, M.D., Charlea Pedro, CRNP, Sandra Pensieri, D.P.M., lurito Dwaraki Penugonda, M.D., Lori Pietrowski, CRNP, Gloria Pombo, PA-C, Bogdan Protyniak, M.D., Kimberly Reed, PA-C, Katlyn Rushing, PA-C, Jamian Ryan, D.O., Jennifer Salvo, PA-C, Maria Alexies Samonte, M.D., Joseph Schulz, D.O., Cassandra Tunis, D.O., Daniel Upton, M.D., Sarah Vidumsky, PA-C, Anthony Villarosa, M.D., Gehred Wetzel, D.O., and Sarah Worsnick, PA-C.

both held at Bucknell University in Lewisburg.

Soden is an executive committee member of the Northern Tier Regional Planning Development Commission and Chairman of their Local Loan Committee. He serves as a member of the Susquehanna County Industrial Development Authority.

Soden and his wife, Sharon, reside in Thompson Twp., Susquehanna County. They have four sons, Adam, Brent, Craig and Aaron.

KiNG’S COLLeGe

Stacey Zelinka of Mountain Top has been named associate director for new student financial aid. She will serve as the college’s liaison for all first-year undergraduate GeiSiNGeR COMMONWeALTh SChOOL domestic students. She Zelinka OF MeDiCiNe will help raise awareness Steven J. Scheinman, M.D., president and of scholarship opportunidean of the medical school and chief academic ties, maintain content on the financial aid officer at Geisinger, has been selected by the website and manage the office’s social media Pennsylvania Chapter of the American College platforms. of Physicians as a 2017 Laureate Award winZelinka has over 15 years of experience in ner. higher education admissions and financial aid The award is reserved for senior physicians departments. She began her worked in various who are fellows or masters of long standpositions in the Office of Admissions at King’s ing, with acknowledged excellence and peer from 2002-2007, including as senior assistant approval in the field of internal medicine. In director. addition, the awardees should have served the She is a member of the National Associachapter with distinction. tion of Student Financial Aid Administrators Scheinman will accept his award at and Counselors, a former moderator of the Pa. PAACP’s annual Education Meeting and Association of College Admissions Counselors Awards Dinner on Dec. 9 in Harrisburg.

Conference, and recipient of the James R. McKeever Promising Professional Award. hONeSDALe NATiONAL Zelinka earned her bachelor’s degree in art BANK management with a minor in marketing from Richard Soden has Wilkes University. joined the bank as a vice president and commercial LANDMARK COMMUNiTy BANK loan officer.

Joseph D. Angelella Soden has 35 years has been named senior of banking experience. vice president/commercial soden He will work out of the loan department manager.

Lakewood and Forest City He is a graduate of Wilkes offices and will primarily service commercial University with bachelor’s clients in Susquehanna and northern Wayne and master’s degrees in and Lackawanna counties. business administration angelella An Air Force veteran, he holds an associate and is a graduate of the degree in business administration from Penn Pennsylvania Banker’s State University. He is a graduate of the Penn- School of Commercial Lending. sylvania Bankers Association’s Central Atlantic His experience includes senior lending Schools of Trust and Commercial Lending,

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positions with RBS Citizens Bank, Community Bank NA and other area financial institutions.

Angelella is a past board member of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Chamber of Business and Industry, past board chairman of the Greater Wilkes-Barre Industrial Fund Inc., past president of Risk Management Association, past board member and treasurer of the Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, past campaign chairman of the Wilkes University Business Community Campaign, and former member of various other community organizations. He resides in West Wyoming.

LONGhORN STeAKhOUSe

Kyle Drake, managing partner of the steakhouse in Wilkes-Barre, has achieved parent company Darden Restaurants’ Diamond Club status. He was recognized this year for his commitment to delivering guest experiences at the highest level, while making a difference in the drake lives of guests and team members, as well as in his community.

This year, Drake joins an elite group of 25 managing partners selected from the more than 490 LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants in North America, making this a truly exclusive honor. Drake attributes his professional success to amazing managers and team members.

LSeO.COM

Chris Nash has joined the company as president.

Nash is an internet and SEO marketing expert, e-commerce veteran, and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of digital, web and sales experience. He co-founded the nash second largest retail and e-commerce dancewear company, AllAboutDance.com, in 1999, acquired a major competitor in 2008, and sold the business in 2010 to the world’s largest online discount dance wear retailer.

He is currently utilizing his proven experience in digital marketing, SEO and e-

commerce across a variety of internet based companies. His experience has also drawn him toward professional photography where he has often focused on dance, movement and the performing arts. As a graduate of Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Nash brings an international perspective to his work having literally worked and traveled around the world through the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship on a global technology research project.

He has co-founded or invested in a number of start-ups and other businesses including MaxxBench.com, an innovative fitness equipment company that is changing the way we work out, and AutomateAds.com, a softwaredriven company that automates, optimizes, and unifies cross-channel digital advertising.

MARyWOOD UNiVeRSiTy

Michael Mirabito, Ph.D., professor and chairman in the communication arts department, recently attended a 19-day international seminar that took place in Israel. The international seminar, which is geared for educators, is designed for individuals who teach or are involved in works concerning the Holocaust.

Mirabito’s research interests, along with many of his creative works over the past 10 years, are in Holocaust studies and related fields, including trips to and subsequent photography shows about: Auschwitz-Birkenau (Poland); and Terezin (New Czech Republic); concentration camps in Kurdistan (Iraq); and genocide sites. In the past year, he has visited and photographed Manzanar, the JapaneseAmerican internment camp in Lone Pine, California; a Trail of Tears site in Hopkinsville, Kentucky; and sites in Maryland associated with Harriet Tubman. He is planning on using photos from the last three sites, in addition to those from Israel, in a proposed photography show. Mirabito is also working with a graduate assistant to create an online magazine to support Holocaust and genocide studies. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from New York University, his master’s degree from New York Institute of Technology, and his doctorate from Bowling Green State University.

MCGRAiL MeRKeL QUiNN & ASSOCiATeS PC

Staff associate Michael Lenchak has recently passed the CPA exam. Lenchak, a resident of Dupont, received a bachelor’s de-

PERSONNEL FILE gree in accounting from Wilkes University and joined the firm in 2016. As a staff associate, he is primarily responsible for professional services in accounting and taxes to smallbusiness clients as well as numerous audit clients.

The firm also added Gabriella Summa to the team. Summa, a resident of Old Forge, is a recent graduate of the University of Scranton and joins the team as a staff associate. She will primarily be responsible for professional services to employee benefit plans, nonprofit organizations as well as services to owneroperated businesses.

Medicap pharMacy

eric M. pusey, rph, cde, is the owner and pharmacist of the pharmacy in Olyphant, which he opened in 2004. He graduated from Temple University School of PharPUSEY macy in 1982. He has been honored with the 2007 Medicap Pharmacy Professional Achievement Award and as the 2010 Lackawanna County Pharmacist of the Year. He is also the immediate past president for the Lackawanna County Pharmacy Association. Pusey served two terms as board secretary on the Mid Valley School Board and was a board member for Intermediate Unit 19. In addition to PPA, he is president of PFOA-Medicap and member of the PFOA board of directors.

Pusey is a member of the National Community Pharmacists Association, American Pharmacists Association, American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

MiSericordia UniverSity

ryan Weber, ph.d., assistant professor of musicology, Department of Fine Arts, was invited recently to speak at two international conferences.

Weber presented research at the international WEBER symposium, “Finding Democracy in Music,” held Sept. 4-5 at the University of Huddersfield, England.

Weber’s presentation focused on the role

of the naturalized American composer Percy Grainger, who was active during World War I and World War II, and underwent a dramatic transformation in ideas of democracy during this period.

He further explored Grainger and the idea of democracy at the conference, “Rethinking the Dynamics of Music and Nationalism,” at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Sept. 26-29.

His research is part of an ongoing project on Grainger and the role of cosmopolitanism in 19th and 20th centuries. He is editing a volume of essays by leading scholars on the subject, which will be released in the journal Nineteenth-Century Music Review, published

by Cambridge University Press, in late 2017.

A native of West Babylon, N.Y., who currently resides in Hawley, he joined the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences in 2013.

He holds a Ph.D. in music history and theory from the University of Connecticut, and a Master of Arts degree in music theory and a Bachelor of Arts in music from Queens College — the City University of New York. alicia nordstrom, ph.d., professor of psychology, recently presented at the 125th Convention of the American Psychological Association in Washington, D.C. Her presentation was one of four on applications of psychobiography. More than 7,000 psychology practitioners and educators from around the world attended the conference.

Nordstrom is a child clinical psychologist who joined the faculty in 2004. In addition to her faculty role, she serves as director of the university’s Center for Faculty Professional Development. She earned her master’s degree from Purdue University and her Ph.D. in psychology from the Pennsylvania State University. She is a member of the Association for Psychological Science, the Eastern Psychological Association, the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, the Society for Research on Child Development, the Society for the TeachBLACk ing of Psychology, and the Society of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology, both divisions of the American Psychological Association.

Jennifer M. Black, ph.d., assistant

professor in the department of history and government, recently published an article in an online history roundtable on teaching.

Her article, “Historical Memory and Contemporary Politics,” was posted Aug. 8 as the third post in the series, “Teaching Amid Political Tension,” on the Junto website. Junto provides content of general interest to people interested in early American history and offers a forum for discussion of relevant historical and academic topics. Membership includes faculty members at prestigious universities around the world, including the University of Pennsylvania and Princeton University.

Black holds a doctorate in American history and visual studies from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, as well as a Master of Arts in public history and a Bachelor of Arts in art history, both from Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Mich. She joined the faculty in 2014 and teaches classes in United States history, visual culture and public history.

The university has named paula pate-Schloder, MS, rt, (r)(cv) (ct)(vi), FairS, MrSo, SCHLODER associate professor, as the chairwoman of the department of medical imaging.

Pate-Schloder has more than 26 years of teaching experiencing in the academic program at the university. During that time, she has taught hundreds of medical imaging students. Before embarking on a career in higher education, she acquired extensive clinical and administrative capabilities.

She holds a Master of Science in education from Misericordia University and a Bachelor of Science in medical radiography from Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, Arizona.

Pate-Schloder also earned an associate in risk management designation from the Insurance Society of America. In 2015, she earned a certificate as a medical radiation safety officer.

Certified by the American Registry of Radiologic Technologists in radiography, cardiovascular interventional technology, computed tomography and vascular interventional technology, Pate-Schloder regularly makes scholarly presentations at national, state and local conferences on radiography and medical

imaging topics. Her presentations often center on risk management and patient safety, which serve as points of emphasis in her career.

Pate-Schloder served as an item writer for the ARRT examination on cardiovascular interventional technology in order to further the overall best practices of the industry MUNLEY and future professionals. She was appointed to ARRT certification examination committees in cardiovascular exam and vascular interventional technology. Most recently, she served on MUNLEY the VI Practice Analysis Committee, which updated the exam to address the latest advances in the field.

In addition, PateSchloder contributed the Central Nervous System Chapter in “Merrill’s Atlas MUNLEY of Radiographic Positioning and Procedures,” which is considered the gold standard of radiographic positioning textbooks. ARRT also presented her with a meritorious service award for her volunteer MUNLEY contributions to the examinations.

A Lake Winola resident, she is the past president and chairwoman of the board for the Association of Educators in Imaging and Radiologic MUNLEY Sciences. During her time on the board, she directed two strategic planning processes, served as the liaison to several outside agencies, coordinated educator workshops, and led the development of the current mission and MUNLEY

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vision statements. In 2015, AEIRS elevated her for continuing the success of the agency’s loan programs, working closely with the SBA to Fellow.

504 program. Doolittle will Munley law be charged with reviewing Six Munley Law partners have been named business loan applications to the 2017 Irish Legal 100. Founded in 2008, and advising clients on the Irish Legal 100 is a compilation of some of the proper path toward loan most accomplished and distinguished legal approval. He will also deal professionals of Irish descent in the United with aspects of financial States. statement analysis, credit The Irish Legal 100 list includes attorneys, analysis, data entry and doolittle legal scholars and members of the judiciary data reporting. who are accomplished in their fields. The He earned his bachMunley lawyers included in the Irish Legal 100 elor’s degree in finance from Duquesne include Robert w. Munley Sr., Marion MunUniversity in 2014. After graduation, he imley, Robert w. Munley III, Daniel w. Munley, mediately started pursuing his MBA in finance James Christopher Munley and Caroline and investments from Marywood University, Munley. The Munley’s graduating in 2016. trace their Irish heritage to He has more than three years of banking the counties Galway and experience through internships and an asMayo in western Ireland. sistantship during graduate school. Doolittle grew up in Clarks Summit and currently nanny’S eye CaRe resides in Scranton.

foR KIDS PC

nannette Zale Refice, reFiCe M.D., recently opened her private practice at 625 E. Drinker St. in Dunmore. Refice is the only fellowship-trained, board-certified pediatric ophthalmologist in Northeast Pennsylvania.

A graduate of Scranton Preparatory School, she attained a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Scranton and earned her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia. She completed a one-year internship at Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia, a three-year ophthalmology residency at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, and a one-year fellowship in pediatric ophthalmology at Temple University Children’s Medical Center.

Refice has practiced pediatric ophthalmology for nearly 20 years. She will see patients in her Dunmore office and perform surgery at local hospitals. She specializes in treatment and surgery of childhood eye conditions, including misaligned eyes, eye movement disorders, ptosis, tumors in and around the eye, refractive errors and the need for glasses.

She resides in the Green Ridge section of Scranton with her husband, Eddie, and three children, Annie, Edward and Amelia.

noRtheaSteRn Pa. allIanCe

Ken Doolittle has joined the staff as a business finance specialist. He will be responsible

as well as company safety and fleet management.

Kraynack holds certificates in boiler maintenance, HVAC systems, water and geothermal systems, as well as residential and commercial electrical systems. He and his wife, Susan, have two children and two grandchildren.

unIveRSIty of SCRanton

The Kania School of goll Management named professors Irene Goll, Ph.D., and Satyajit Ghosh, Ph.D., Alperin Teaching Fellows for 2017-20.

The three-year Alperin Teaching Fellow Award was established in 1999 to recognize outstandghosh ing teaching in the Kania School of Management.

Funding is provided by an endowment estabnoRtheaSteRn PennSylvanIa InDuStRIal ReSouRCe CenteR PennSylvanIa lIBRaRy aSSoCIatIon lished in 1980 through a gift from Irwin E. The board of directors added the following Alperin, Joel M. Alperin and Myer Alperin and The association has announced the 2018 new members to the board during the organi- board of directors. They include local resitheir families. zation’s annual meeting on Oct. 27: An associate professor of management, dents Sheli Mchugh, University of Scranton, Donald Macarthur, marketing specialist, third vice president/membership chairwoman; marketing and entrepreneurship, Goll joined HRC Manufacturing, Honesdale. HRC offers a the university in 1988. She was the first leslie Christianson, Marywood University, variety of services to manufacturers including treasurer; and Kate Cummings, Luzerne recipient of the William and Elizabeth Burkavmachine, packaging, light age Fellowship in Business Ethics and Social County Community Colassembly and shipping.

Responsibility, which was awarded by the lege, director at large.

He works closely with reuniversity in 2011. The endowed fellowship gional manufacturers and R.n. fItCh anD SonS was established in 2009 and provides support provides abundant insight Mark D. Kraynack of to assist university faculty in new research on into regional workforce Harveys Lake has been issues of sustainability, social responsibility trends. named senior operations and business ethics. liam Murtagh, director manager of the company, Goll received her bachelor’s degree from murtagh of global engineering, a division of McGrath kraynaCk the Pennsylvania State University, her master’s Weiler Abrasives Group, Enterprises Inc., Dallas. degree from the University of Illinois and her Cresco. Weiler Abrasives Group is an industry A lifetime resident of the doctorate degree from Temple University. leader in surface conditioning solutions which Back Mountain, with more than 30 years of An associate professor of economics and include industrial abrasives, brushes and operations management experience, Kraynack finance, Ghosh joined the faculty at Scranton maintenance supplies. Murtagh will represent brings an extensive background in HVAC, in 1986. During his more than 30 years of the needs of mid-sized plumbing and heavy equipment operations service, he served on numerous committees manufacturers in explormanagement. Kraynack joined the company including the Committee on Program Evaluing new technologies and in December 2016 to fill the position of job ation, the Subcommittee on Assessment, innovations. costing and dispatch manager. In his new role, the Middle States Accreditation Committee, laurie Schwager, sehe will be responsible for day-to-day manage- the Institutional Learning Outcomes Worknior relationship manager, ment of operations, project management of ing Group and the Middle States Monitoring Bank of America Merrill plumbing, HVAC and excavation projects in Report Coordinating Committee, among othLynch, Moosic. Bank of both the residential and commercial divisions, ers. Ghosh also served as a faculty assessor

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America Merrill Lynch delivers strategic financial advice and solutions to companies around the globe. Schwager will assist the organization in developing business financing programs that complement existing market offerings.

Jonathan watt, plant manager, Hendrick Manuwatt facturing, Carbondale.

Hendrick Manufacturing produces perforated and custom-fabricated metal products, screen solutions and architectural metal, serving many different markets.

Watt will assist in developing and refining the organization’s market expansion and product diversification services.

The following slate of officers was also approved for a one-year term: chairman, Bruce Daniels, Action-Lift, Inc.; vice chairman, william Minogue, SIMONA America; treasurer, leah Kane, Elecast Inc.; and secretary, william Cockerill, community liaison, AFL-CIO.

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PERSONNEL FILE for KSOM Day and helped develop student learning goals for economics and finance majors. He also assisted to create a draft of the institutional learning outcomes, with the Institutional Outcomes Working Group, which became an integral part of the university’s assessment plan.

Ghosh is frequently quoted in news publications regarding a variety of regional economic subjects, appearing in as many as 24 separate news articles in one year. He participates annually in the Scranton TimesTribune panel discussion for Outlook, which addresses a yearly economic forecast for the region.

Ghosh received his bachelor’s degree from Presidency College in India, his master’s degree from the University of Calcutta and the State University of New York at Buffalo and his doctorate degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo.

English and theater professor Michael Friedman, Ph.D., received the Friedman John L. Earl III Award for service to the university, the faculty and the wider community. This award is given annually to a member of the university community who demonstrates the spirit of generosity and dedication that the late Dr. John Earl, a distinguished professor of history, exemplified during his years at Scranton from 1964 to 1996.

As a distinguished Shakespeare scholar, Friedman has published more than two dozen scholarly articles and presented another two dozen scholarly papers. He is the author of “The World Must Be Peopled: Shakespeare’s Comedies of Forgiveness” (Fairleigh Dickinson Press, 2002) and the second edition of the volume dedicated to “Titus Andronicus” in the Shakespeare and Performance series published by Manchester University Press (2013). He serves on the editorial board of Shakespeare Bulletin and as a member of the International Committee of Correspondents of World Shakespeare Bibliography.

During his more than 25-year tenure at Scranton, Friedman has also served on numerous other committees and initiatives, including the Handbook Committee, First-year Experience Task Force, the Jesuit Identity Task

professor of pharmacy practice in the Nesbitt School of Pharmacy, was awarded the 10 Under 10 Award at the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association annual conference. At the Wayne MeMorial conference, she was also peZZino CoMMunity HealtH installed as the 2017-2018 Centers academia practice director Certified family nurse for the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Associapractitioner april alexantion’s board of practice directors. der has joined the staff of The 10 Under 10 Award recognizes the the largest of the health top ten pharmacists practicing for less than aleXander system’s nine primary care 10 years who demonstrate commitment to practices. She is seeing advancing the profession, involvement in the patients at Highland Physicians Family Health Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association and Center, 1839 Fair Ave., Honesdale. other pharmacy associations, and service to Alexander worked as a registered nurse for their community. The awards are presented five years before completing the education and every three years. clinical experience required to become a family Pezzino is a 2014 graduate of the Univernurse practitioner. She earned her bachelor’s sity of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy. She and associate degrees in nursing from Penn completed a one-year community-based pharState University and a master’s degree as a macy practice residency at the University of family nurse practitioner, graduating with a North Carolina, Eshelman School of Pharmacy.

GPA of 3.97. Alexander was most recently After earning her teaching certificate, Pezzino employed as a registered nurse in Honesdale began teaching at the university in August at Wayne Memorial Hospital’s acute rehabilita- 2015. tion and medical/surgical units.

Pezzino dedicates time at various community centers in Wilkes-Barre, empowering students to Wells Fargo give back while developing a professional identity Kevin engelman, vice through interacting with members of the compresident and Wilkesmunity. Pezzino and the student volunteers provide Barre community bank blood pressure, blood glucose, weight management, district manager, has been cholesterol screenings and medication management named chairman of the services.

2018 Northeast Pa. Heart Pezzino is also involved at the national level with engleman Ball, set for Saturday, the American Pharmacists Association New PractiApril 7, at 5 p.m. at the tioners Network. Her involvement includes creating Westmoreland Club in Wilkes-Barre. the training for a community health ambassador Engelman joined the bank in 2004 and be- position to help other pharmacists give back to their gan his current position as district manager in communities and learn the process for developing April 2011. He is a graduate of the Leadership and maintaining community relationships.

Wilkes-Barre program and has an extensive Senior Jennifer Borton of Harding was awarded record of service to the community. In addition the Sam Milazzo Volunteer of the Year award by the to his service to the American Heart AssociaGreater Pittston YMCA. The award was presented tion as Heart Ball chairman and a member of Nov. 8 at the 2017 Greater Pittston YMCA Annual the event’s executive leadership team, he has Dinner and Community Awards ceremony at Mohedone extensive community service work. gan Sun Pocono.

He earned his degree in business adminBorton, an early childhood education major, was istration with a concentration in finance from nominated by the board of directors. A volunWilkes University. teer with the YMCA for three years, Borton was recognized for her work with the Jack-O-Lantern WilKes university Jog, which benefits the Greater Pittston YMCA. nicole Pezzino, Pharm.D., an assistant

Force and as a summer orientation academic adviser, among others. He has also acted in seven University Players productions.

Friedman earned his bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and his master’s and doctorate from Boston University.

Borton and another YMCA volunteer created the event last year, but Borton was the sole organizer for the 2017 event. The run took place Oct. 22 at the Luzerne County National Recreation Trail along the Susquehanna River.

Five university faculty and staff members were honored with the 2017 President’s Awards for Excellence. The awards, which were presented by President Patrick Leahy at the university’s fall convocation, recognize individuals who reflect excellence in their work based on the university’s core values.

This is the second year for the awards program. thomas Baldino, professor of political science, was the recipient of the President’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship for his efforts in advancing knowledge through discovery and research to better educate Wilkes constituents.

Charles Cary, executive director of facilities, received the President’s Award for Excellence in Innovation for his efforts in promoting programs, ideas and sustainable practices.

Cary Mark allen, dean of students and interim director of the honors program, was honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Community for his efforts in collaborating with others on campus with mutual respect to foster a sense of belonging.

Marie roke-thomas, associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, received the President’s Award for Excellence in Mentoring for her efforts in nurturing individuals to understand and act on their abilities while challenging them to achieve great things. roke-thomas erica acosta, associate director of diversity affairs, was honored with the President’s Award for Excellence in Diversity for her efforts in embracing differences and uniqueness through sincerity, awareness, inclusion and sensitivity. aCosta University faculty or staff members can nominate anyone in the university community for the awards. The nominations are shared with senior administration for feedback, with the final recipients determined by the president.

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FOR THE RECORD DEEDS

Amount: $324,900.

Michael G. Barna. Property Location: Rice Twp. Seller: Sirva Relation Credit LLC. Amount: COLUMBIA COUNTY $324,000.

Carl R. Slater Jr. Property Location: Nicholas Sorino. Property Location: Madison Twp. Seller: Talen Generation LLC. Jackson Twp. Seller: Laura Eckman. Amount: Amount: $382,500. $435,000.

Randy R. Karshner. Property Location: Joseph Malacari. Property Location: Orange Twp. Seller: FNB Bank. Amount: Wright Twp. Seller: Robert Rosner. Amount: $310,000.

Kaleta Inc. Property Location: Bloomsburg. $305,000.

Jason M. Van Tassel. Property Location: Seller: Donald Camplese Revocable Trust.

Kingston Twp. Seller: Richard Rome. Amount: Amount: $675,000. $425,000.

LACKAWANNA COUNTY Alsbury Venture LP. Property Location: Visit biz570.com for listings Hazleton City, Five Parcels. Seller: 1 Assisted Living LLC. Amount: $285,000.

LUZERNE COUNTY Field Hotel Associates (Exton) II LLC. Sacha Marino. Property Location: Dallas Property Location: Wilkes Barre Twp. Twp. Seller: John E. Halbing III. Amount: Seller: Kingston Hotel Partners LP. Amount: $265,000. $7,500,000.

William M. McGarry. Property Location: Matterns Co. Property Location: Kingston Dallas Twp. Seller: Presidential Land Co. Inc. Boro. Seller: Thomas J. Mattern. Amount: Amount: $550,851. $487,400.

SKB Dallas LLC. Property Location: DalJohn A. Gaughan Jr. Property Location: las Twp. Seller: JWV Dallas LLC. Amount: Fairview Twp. Seller: John A. Boger. Amount: $595,000. $292,000.

Matthew Dailey. Property Location: KingsPhillip J. Hill. Property Location: Bear ton Boro. Seller: Jeffrey Alan Sirota. Amount: Creek Twp. Seller: Joseph C. Lobrutto. $290,000.

Amount: $465,000.

William Check. Property Location: Anthony Lettieri. Property Location: Wright Kingston Twp. Seller: John M. Zubris. Amount: Twp. Seller: Francis J. Brozena. Amount: $266,500. $340,000.

HDC Distribution LLC. Property Location: Cartus Financial Corporation. Property West Pittston Boro. Seller: Joseph C. LomLocation: Rice twp. Seller: Ronald Cappillo. bardo. Amount: 250,000.

Amount: $479,900.

Cory K. Billett. Property Location: Rice Faiz Subzposh. Property Location: Rice Twp. Seller: Citizens Bank. Amount: $430,000. Twp. Seller: Cartus Financial Corporation.

Dennis Terrance Danko. Property LocaAmount: $479,900. tion: Fairview Twp. Seller: David J. Morgan.

Kelvin R. Spotts. Property Location: Amount: $365,000.

Rice Twp. Seller: Anthony Lettieri. Amount: Brandon Carlin. Property Location: Dor$265,400. rance Twp. Seller: Mark A. Thomas. Amount: Sandra Bungardy. Property Location: $495,000.

Larksville Boro. Seller: Samuel Perta. Amount: Joseph C. Lobrutto. Property Location: Laf- $268,000. lin Boro. Seller: Melissa Corin Disque. Amount: Andrew Reynolds. Property Location: $378,000.

Lehman Twp. Seller: Judith L. Kristeller.

Edward Lee Patrick Jr. Property Location: Amount: $325,000.

Dorrance Twp. Seller: Marna L. Kania. Amount: Ronald F. Mead Jr. Property Location: $485,000.

Dorrance Twp. Seller: Michael S. Earnest.

Mark J. Davies. Property Location: Amount: $525,000.

Harvey’s Lake Boro. Seller: Brian K. Harding.

John J. Gera. Property Location: FosAmount: $650,000. ter Twp. Seller: Edward M. Sharp. Amount: Sirva Relocaqtion Credit LLC. Property $260,000.

Location: Rice Twp. Seller: Cathleen J. Moraca.

26 NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B26] | 12/27/17

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PPL Electric Utilities Corporation. Property Location: Wilkes Barre Twp., Six Parcels.

Amount: $400,000.

Raymond Kruk. Property Location: Rice Twp. Seller: Presidential Land Co. .Ltd. Amount: $469,900.

Michael Muldowney. Property Location: Dorrance Twp. Seller: David Wilson. Amount: $283,500.

Matthew V. Tyler. Property Location: Dallas Twp. Seller: Matthew R. Sordoni. Amount: $375,000.

Joseph Malacari. Property Location: Wright Twp. Seller: Robert Rosner. Amount: $305,000.

Peter L. Marycz. Property Location: Sugarloaf Twp. Two Parcels. Seller: Louis C. Ferrello.

Amount: $300,000.

Hayvo LLC. Property Location: Pocono Twp. Seller: Rhonda Bonser Jr. Amount: $344,000.

John Charitis. Property Location: Pocono Twp. Seller: Rodney Lang. Amount: $465,000.

Bradley Mescavage. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Seller: David Hausman.

Amount: $306,000.

Gary Roegiers. Property Location: Coolbaugh Twp. Seller: Shaun Sewall. Amount: $317,000.

Garbis Colakayan. Property Location: Middle Smithfield Twp. Seller: Donald Small.

Amount: $343,000.

Maria Petrovski. Property Location: Tunkhannock Twp. Seller: Nicholas Robinson.

Amount: $305,000.

Cari Jacobs. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Seller: Susanne Jackson. Amount: MONROE COUNTY $306,000.

Ernst DeJoie. Property Location: Smithfield Ryan Bailey. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Seller: DE&S Properties Inc. Amount: Twp. Seller: Robert Wisniewski. Amount: 303,500. $463,250.

Svien Christoffersen. Property Location: 611 Land Development LLC. Property LoPocono Twp. Seller: DE&S Properties Inc. cation: Pocono Twp. Seller: South Ninth Street Amount: $420,000.

Enterprises Inc. Amount: $1,100,000.

Martina Matheis. Property Location: PoRAC Closing Services LLC. Property Locacono Twp. Seller: Fannie Mae. Federal National tion: Stroud Twp. Seller: Seth Tanner. Amount: Mortgage Assn. Amount: $310,000. $300,000.

Sean Haniph. Property Location: TunkhanSandra Pocapinska. Property Location: nock Twp. Seller: David Raizen. Amount: Smithfield Twp. Seller: Michael Gacheff. $350,000.

Amount: $315,000.

Brian Albert. Property Location: TunkhanPatricia Gaurdabascio Jr. Property Locanock Twp. Seller: Bradley Graham. Amount: tion: Stroud Twp. Seller: RAC Closing Services $350,000.

LLC. Amount: $300,000.

Maria Petrovski. Property Location: Lawrence Abramson. Property Location: Tunkhannock Twp. Seller: Donald Klenotiz.

Tobyhanna Twp. Seller: Barbara Levine Trust.

Amount: $325,000.

Amount: $435,000.

Nathan Laubach. Property Location: Jonathan Regan. Property Location: Pocono Twp. Seller: Kira Manusis. Amount: Smithfield Twp. Seller: Glenn Younkin Trust. $356,388.

Amount: $350,000.

Carole Mraz. Property Location: ParaH&J Properties LLC. Property Location: dise Twp. Seller Craig Roseman. Amount: Chestnuthill Twp. Seller: Franklin Mazuk. $300,000.

Amount: $525,000.

John Calhoun. Property Location: Polk Daniel Martinez. Property Location: Twp. Seller: Marnie DiBella Sr. Amount: Tobyhanna Twp. Seller: DE&S Properties Inc. $350,000.

Amount: $308,500.

Terry Servis. Property Location: TobyD Roman Properties LLC. Property Locahanna Twp. Seller: Stephen Lyons III. Amount: tion: Smithfield Twp. Seller: George Vlamis. $375,000.

Amount: $440,000.

216 King Street Properties LLC. Property Richard Paumen. Property Location: TobyLocation: East Stroudsburg. Seller: WRTO hanna Twp. Seller: James Stevenson. Amount: Properties Inc. Amount: $850,000. $460,000.

Please see For The Record, Page 27

FOR THE RECORD FROM PAGE 26

arrow llC. Property Location: Milford Twp. Seller: KPMC Enterprises LLC. Amount: $525,000.

Michael f. Best. Property Location: Milford Twp. Seller: Charlie C. Wessner. Amount: $325,000. erik Peterson. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Seller: Vladimir Zelenko. Amount: $447,000. hooi Ming nG. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Seller: EKG Partnership. Amount: $1,050,000. helge w. Mortensen. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Seller: Luciano Derchi.

PIKe County Amount: $335,000.

Jerry McKenzie. Property Location: Westtom Bussey. Property Location: Lackafall Twp. Seller: Barsoum Family Living Trust. waxen Twp. Seller: Mattew Snyder. Amount: Amount: $275,000. $989,000.

John Douglas williams. Property Location: lisa whiteman Bongiovi. Property LocaWestfall Twp. Seller: John T. Stieh. Amount: tion: Lackawaxen Twp. Seller: Roger W. Beck. $492,500.

Amount: $450,000.

Patrick norman Bergstedt. Property Locavincent Marra. Property Location: Delation: Shohola Twp. Seller: Gregory V. Stodware Twp. Seller: Anthony Palma. Amount: dard. Amount: $390,000. $430,000.

Paul l. Rich. Property Location: Shohola Philip J. archdeacon. Property Location: Twp. Seller: Anthony M. Russo. Amount: Dingman Twp. Seller: Timothy M. O’Dea. $279,000.

Amount: $346,500.

Bruce w. lackland. Property Location: Kenneth C. Griffin. Property Location: Shohola Twp. Seller: Michael F. Lackland.

Dingman Twp. Seller: Mary Ann T. Maniace.

Amount: $300,000.

Amount: $279,000. henry haligowski. Property Location: Joseph Bush. Property Location: Green Palmyra Twp. Seller: Blair T. Rush. Amount: Twp. Seller: Diane Lakata. Amount: $280,000. $400,000.

Robert e. Goldman. Property Location: John young. Property Location: PalGreene Twp. Seller: PNC Bank. Amount: myra Twp. Seller: Stephen Roberts. Amount: $451,100. $575,000.

Joseph Skurjunis. Property Location: John young. Property Location: Palmyra Greene Twp. Seller: Penny Lee Bartleson.

Twp. Seller: Emma Nagel Revocable Trust Amount: $365,000.

Amount: $325,000.

Ryan R. Roettger. Property Location: PalSChuylKIll County myra Twp. Seller: John E. Swiggard. Amount: Michael S. hummel. Property Location: $250,000.

Pottsville. Seller: Bruce R. Schmidt. Amount: Scott harrison. Property Location: Palmyra $250,000.

Twp. Seller: Cassandra Thomas. Amount: wayne e. herring. Property Location: $325,000.

Pottsville. Seller: Mark Herring. Amount: Christian Goetz. Property Location: $635,000.

Palmyra Twp. Seller: Glenn F. Goetz. Amount: Sandra Dean. Property Location: Wayne $500,000.

Twp. Seller: Richard K. Wilhide. Amount: John P. Pieroni. Property Location: Pal$326,000. myra Twp. Seller: Urszula Lodziana. Amount: $270,000. wayne County Xavisean llC. Property Location: Milalan Pisacano. Property Location: ford Boro. Seller: Nancy Conway. Amount: Manchester. Seller: Peter M. Puch. Amount: $375,000. $271,000.

David laPoint. Property Location: Stroudsburg. Seller: 4 Daughters Realty LLC. Amount: $420,000.

Michael Biddle II. Property Location: Middle Smithfield Twp. Seller: Zheng LU. Amount: $330,000.

Bellante Properties. Property Location: Chestnuthill Twp. Seller: Effort Mini Storage Inc. Amount: $2,150,000.

Saul Cisneros. Property Location: Middle Smithfield Twp. Seller: Michael Bostelman.

Amount: $350,000.

Donald Buttermark. Property Location: Damascus. Seller: George Detrick. Amount: $290,000.

Richard C. Dougherty. Property Location: Salem. Seller: Teresa M. Kenny. Amount: $438,500.

Matthew K. nugent. Property Location: So Canaan. Seller: Deborah Maino. Amount: $255,000.

Patrick. B. Kierman. Property Location: Scott. Seller: James B. Bryant. Amount: $249,000. elite Partners of Pa II. Property Location: Preston. Seller: David Lahoda. Amount: $875,000.

Joel Robert Batton. Property Location: Dreher. Seller: Fannie Mae. Amount: $297,000.

John D. Conaboy. Property Location: Paupack. Seller: Arthur A. Hughes. Amount: $560,000.

Shawn h. liu. Property Location: Damascus. Seller: Gregory R. Swartz. Amount: $519,000.

Michael Scott Crocco. Property Location: Lebanon. Seller: Joseph A. Harcum. Amount: $300,000.

Michael vindman. Property Location: Paupack. Seller: Snip LLC. Amount: $250,000.

Dunne Manning Realty. Property Location: Dreher. Seller: LGP Realty Holdings LP. Amount: $325,000.

Dunne Manning Realty. Property Location: Texas. Seller: LGP Realty Holdings LP. Amount: $425,000.

Michael Cole. Property Location: Palmyra.

Seller: The Louise J. Anke Trust. Amount: $290,000.

Giovanni lupo. Property Location: Preston.

Seller: Steve A. Ferlita. Amount: $277,000.

Richard a. Molinaro. Property Location: Salem. Seller: Joseph R Sharpe. Amount: $400,000. lee Dekker. Property Location: Buckingham. Seller: Mark Milroy. Amount: $310,000.

Matthew George. Property Location: Paupack. Seller: Kevin P. McGinnis. Amount: $440,000. laura Galasso-Coons. Property Location: Lake. Seller: Christine Zahariadis. Amount: $289,000.

Brian C. Shultz. Property Location: Paupack. Seller: Vincent J. Fernicola. Amount: $287,000.

Gregory Moll. Property Location: Paupack. Seller: Randall Rhoads Enterprises LLC. Amount: $255,000.

wyoMInG

Scott C. walburn. Property Location: Eaton Twp. Seller: John F. Callahan Jr. Amount: $250,000.

Brian e. Streby. Property Location: Tunkhannock. Seller: Robert L. Shaw. Amount: $405,000.

James Marino. Property Location: Tunkhannock. Seller: Ted W. Balch. Amount: $370,000.

David Bolin. Property Location: Lemon Twp. Seller: Jerry E. Hillard. Amount: $409,500.

MORTGaGES ColuMBIa County

Michael M. Morucci. Property Location: Bloomsburg. Lender: First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. Amount: $890,000.

Garvey’s Carpet warehouse outlet Inc. Property Location: Bloomsburg. Lender: Mifflinburg Bank & Trust Company. Amount: $500,000.

Carl R. Slater Jr. Property Location: Madison Twp. Lender: AgChoice Farm Credit.

Amount: $692,500.

Seth w. tanner. Property Location: North Centre Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $310,000.

Bruce a. hemsarth. Property Location; Greenwood Twp. Lender: United States of America Farm Service Agency United States Department of Agriculture. Amount: $300,000.

Kaleta Inc. Property Location: Bloomsburg. Lender: First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. Amount: $405,000.

laCKawanna County

Visit biz570.com for listings

luZeRne County

Michael a. Krafozyk. Property Location: Hazleton. Lender: Residential Mortgage Services Inc. Amount: $342,000.

Sacha Marino. Property Location: Dallas Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $260,200.

Please see For The Record, Page 28

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FOR THE RECORD FROM PAGE 27

William M. McGarry. Property Location: Dallas Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $491,400.

SKB Dallas LLC. Property Location: Dallas Twp. Lender: Customers Bank. Amount: $297,500.

ETK Ventures LP. Property Location: Kingston Twp. Lender: Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank. Amount: $1,750,000.00, Dennis Terrance Danko. Property Location: Fairview Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $347,225.

Brandon Carlin. Property Location: Dorrance Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $396,000.

Cory K. Billett. Property Location: Rice Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $344,000.

Joseph C. Lobrutto. Property Location: Laflin Boro. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc . Amount: $1,789,000.

SADG-1 Limited Partnership. Property Location: Pittston City. Lender: Honesdale National Bank. Amount: $800,000.

Vilimian LLC. Property Location: Yatesville Boro. Lender: FNCB Bank. Amount: $600,000.

JAO Development LLC. Property Location: Wilkes Barre Twp. Lender: FNCB Bank.

Amount: $1,300,000.

309-1 Highland Park LLC. Property Location: Wilkes Barre Twp. Lender: Hometown Bank of PA. Amount: $1,100,000.

Erik Rasmussen. Property Location: Harvey’s Lake Boro. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $600,000.

Waterfront Professional Park LLC. Property Location: Plains Twp. Lender: Maria Care.

Amount: $900,000.

BPR Realty LP. Property Location: Dorrance Twp. Lender: Penn Security Bank & Trust Company. Amount: $789,996.

Are Real Estate LP. Property Location: Fairview Twp. Two Parcels. Lender: Penn Security Bank & Trust Company. Amount: $789,996.

Are Real Estate LP. Property Location: Fairview Twp. Two Parcels. Lender: Penn Security Bank & Trust Company. Amount: $1,000,000.

Are Real Estate LP Property Location: Fairview Twp. Two Parcels. Lender: Penn Security Bank & Trust Company. Amount: $817,357.

Waterfront Professional Park LLC. Property Location: Plains Twp. Four Parcels.

Lender: River Street Real Estate Group LTD. Amount: $19,375,000.

Edward Lee Patrick. Property Location: Dorrance Twp. Lender: Honesdale National Bank. Amount: $510,000.

Edward Lee Patrick Jr. Property Location: Rice Twp. Lender: Honesdale National Bank.

Amount: $510,000.

Eileen Bray. Property Location: Nuangola Boro. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $381,000.

Nicholas Sorino. Property Location: Jackson Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $413,250.

Jason M. Vantassel. Property Location: Kingston Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $382,500.

Judith N. Koral. Property Location: Kingston Boro. Lender: Landmark Community Bank.

Amount: $330,000.

Robert V. Fraley. Property Location: Bear Creek Twp. Lender: Robert V. Fraley. Amount: $250,271.

Field Hotel Associates (Exton) II LLC. Property Location: Wilkes Barre Twp. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank. Amount: $10,000,000.

Matterns Co. Property Location: Kingston Boro. Lender: FNCB Bank. Amount: $534,000.

Craig J. Radzwich. Property Location: Conyngham Boro. Lender: Mid Penn Bank.

Amount: $250,000.

Green Ridge Realty Company. Property Location: Hazle Twp. Five Parcels. Lender: Wayne Bank. Amount: $8,500,000.

John A. Gaughan Jr. Property Location: Fairview Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $301,636.

Charles W. Hoover. Property Location: Hazle Twp. Lender: JP Morgan Chase Bank.

Amount: $301,500.

Phillip J. Hill. Property Location: Bear Creek Twp. Lender: First Peoples Bank.

Amount: $390,000.

Michael L. Kolojejchick. Property Location: Kingston Twp. Lender: FNCB. Amount: $316,000.

Executive Land Development LLC. Property Location: Pittston Twp. Lender: Wayne Bank. Amount: $600,000.

Anthony Lettieri. Property Location: Wright Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $340,000.

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Brian James Murray. Property Location: Franklin Twp. Lender: Citizens Savings Bank.

Amount: $346,616.

Sandra Bungardy. Property Location: Larksville Boro. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $268,000.

Ronald F. Mead Jr. Property Location: Dorrance Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $420,000.

Andrew Reynolds. Property Location: Lehman Twp. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank.

Amount: $276,260.

Foliath Holdings LP. Property Location: Pittston Twp. Lender: Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank. Amount: $300,000.

Jeffrey Chiampi. Property Location: Jenkins Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $316,000.

Raymond Kruk. Property Location: Rice Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $375,920.

Shree Ganesh LLC. Property Location: Wilkes Barre City. Lender: Landmark Community Bank. Amount: $438,400.

Shree Ganesh LLC. Property Location: Hanover Twp. Lender: Landmark Community Bank. Amount: $438,400.

Bradley International LP. Property Location: West Hazleton Boro. Lender: NBT Bank.

Amount: $700,000.

Michael Muldowney. Property Location: Dorrance Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $278,364.

Matthew V. Tyler. Property Location: Dallas Twp. Lender: Stewart Walls. Amount: $272,687.

Brian B. Gorski. Property Location: Jackson Twp. Lender: Citizens Savings Bank.

Amount: $251,800.

N&D Realty LLC. Property Location: Kingston Boro. Lender: NBT Bank. Amount: $560,000.

Stanton Lanes Inc. Property Location: Wilkes Barre City. Lender: Sophie Lupowitz.

Amount: $640,000.

Hanson’s Landing MHP LLC. Property Location: Harvey’s Lake Boro. Lender: David A. Hanson. Amount: $408,000.

Kirk A. Nagle. Property Location: Hollenback Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $328,328.

Joseph Malacari. Property Location: Wright Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $274,500.

John H. Ellis IV. Property Location: Kingston Twp. Lender: Community Bank. Amount: $300,000.

W-Cat Inc. Property Location: Wright Twp. Lender: Sustainable Income LLC. Amount: $300,000.

Raji A. Mahmoud. Property Location: Fairview Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $265,109.

Michael G. Patrick. Property Location: Rice Twp. Lender: Fifth Third Mortgage Company. Amount: $272,000.

Christina M. Bradford. Property Location: Butler Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc. Amount: $254,308.

Farm at Harveys Lake LLC. Property Location: Harvey’s Lake Boro. Four Parcels. Lender: Luzerne Bank. Amount: $304,000.

Kasey Corbett. Property Location: Jackson Twp. Lender: Citizens Savings Bank. Amount: $395,120.

MG09 Lin DEE Inc. Property Location: Hazle Twp. Lender: First Hope Bank. Amount: $2,323,000.

MONROE COUNTY

Craig Becker. Property Location: Pocono Twp. Lender: Landmark Community Bank.

Amount: $1,098,750.

Exeter Blakeslee Lot 100 Land LLC. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Lender: Bank of America NA. Amount: $207,500,000.

Henry Keating. Property Location: Barrett Twp. Lender: Finance of America Mortgage LLC. Amount: $426,000.

Mountainside Plaza Inc. Corp. Property Location: Coolbaugh Twp. Lender: NBT Bank NA. Amount: $565,000.

Pawel Magdalena Staniorski. Property Location: Mt. Pocono. Lender: Romany Investments LLC. Amount: $300,000.

Narendra Patel. Property Location: Coolbaugh Twp. Lender: Peoples Security Bank & Trust Co. Amount: $4,700,000.

Mountain Hollow Estate LLC. Property Location: Stroud Twp. Lender: Vipul Shah.

Amount: $425,000.

Hayvo LLC. Property Location: Property Twp. Pocono Twp. Lender: Rhonda & Donald Bonser Jr. Amount: $625,000.

Ryan Bailey. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA. Amount: $338,250.

Please see For The Record, Page 29

FOR THE RECORD FROM PAGE 28

Kay Costellano. Property Location: Stroud Twp. Lender: Univest Bank & Trust Co. Amount: $301,500.

Mountain Hollow Estate LLC. Property Location: Stroud Twp. Lender: Vipup Shah.

Amount: $425,000.

Wadson Fils. Property Location: Jackson Twp. Lender: Sterns Bank NA. Amount: $765,000.

SLM Real Estate LP. Property Location: Stroud Twp. Lender: PNC Bank NA. Amount: $600,000.

DMC Properties PA LLC. Property Location: Pocono Twp. Lender: Valley National Bank. Amount: $1,088,000.

H&J Properties LLC. Property Location: Chestnuthill Twp. Lender: James Miller.

Amount: $550,000.

D. Roman Properties LLC. Property Location: Smithfield Twp. Lender: First Keystone Community Bank. Amount: $350,000.

New Horizons at Mountains Edge Inc. Property Location: Pocono Twp. Lender: Wayne Bank. Amount: $250,000.

Gary Olson. Property Location: Stroud Twp. Lender: ESSA Bank & Trust. Amount: $424,100.

Richard Paumen. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Lender: CMG Financial. Amount: $350,000.

Michael Biddle II. Property Location: Middle Smithfield Twp. Lender: Quicken Loans Inc. Amount: $313,500.

David Stewart. Property Location: Hamilton Twp. Lender: Wells Fargo Bank NA. Amount: $320,000.

Thomas Vance. Property Location: Tobyhanna Twp. Lender: TD Bank NA. Amount: $1,124,985.

ETK Ventures LP. Property Location: Coolbaugh Twp. Lender: Fidelity Deposit & Discount Bank. Amount: $1,750,000.

PIKE COUNTY

Alana Hooghuis. Property Location: Delaware Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration System Inc. Amount: $295,375.

Patricia McKinney. Property Location: Dingman Twp. Lender: One Reverse Mortgage LLC. Amount: $406,500.

Thomas S. Hartman. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $404,000.

Erik Peterson. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $357,600.

John Young. Property Location: Palmyra Twp. Lender: ESSA Bank & Trust. Amount: $417,000.

NG Hooi Ming. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $735,000.

Kurt Spiegel. Property Location: Palmyra Twp. Lender: Wayne Bank. Amount: $707,200.

Gregory C. Steward. Property Location: Palmyra. Lender: MERS. Amount: $298,500.

Helge W. Mortensen. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Lender: Wayne Bank.

Amount: $340,000.

Glenn A. Strys. Property Location: Blooming Grove Twp. Lender: Dime Bank. Amount: $250,000.

Cheryl Lanzer. Property Location: Dingman Twp. Lender: Mortgage Electronic Registration System Inc. Amount: $271,100.

Stephen McClelland. Property Location: Palmyra Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $432,000.

Ronald Parks. Property Location: Lackawaxen Twp. Lender: Citizens Savings Bank.

Amount: $273,900.

Patrick Norman Bergstedt. Property Location: Shohola Twp. Lender: Wells Fargp Bank.

Amount: $290,000.

Philip J. Archdeacon. Property Location: Dingman Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $277,200.

Ginger M. Best. Property Location: Milford Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $319,113.

John C. Gerbron. Property Location: Delaware Twp. Lender: First Keystone Community Bank. Amount: $625,000.

Kirk C. Mackey. Property Location: Shohola Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $500,500.

Christian Goetz. Property Location: Palmyra Twp. Lender: Glenn F. Goetz. Amount: $375,000.

Charles M. Tipper III. Property Location: Blooming Grove Twp. Lender: Dime Bank.

Amount: $250,000.

Jerry McKenzie. Property Location: Westfall Twp. Lender: Navy Federal Credit Union.

Amount: $250,593.

OH Joon Taek. Property Location: Delaware Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $255,000.

First Impression Construction LLC. Property Location: Greene Twp. Lender: Wayne Bank. Amount: $323,265.

John Douglas Williams TR. Property Location: Westfall Twp. Lender: Honesdale National Bank. Amount: $250,000.

Joseph Skurjunis. Property Location: Greene Twp. Lender: MERS. Amount: $346,750.

Jayneel Real Estate LLC. Property Location: Berlin. Lender: Jeff Bank. Amount: $500,000.

Dunne Manning Realty LP. Property Location: Freher & Texas. Lender: M&T Bank.

Amount: $12,000,000.

Anthony J. Martirano. Property Location: SCHUYLKILL COUNTY Sterling. Lender: Honesdale National Bank.

Keith Maley. Property Location: Cart Amount: $271,000.

Carbon. Lender: CACL Credit Union. Amount: The Hiltop Mansion LLC. Property Loca$$295,066. tion: Berlin. Lender: Wayne Bank. Amount: Wayne Herring. Property Location: $515,000.

Pottsville. Lender: Riverview Bank. Amount: Deanne Mallozzi. Property Location: $1.032,000.

So Canaan. Lender: L&LL LLC. Amount: Wayne Herring. Property Location: Auburn. $2,000,000.

Lender: Riverview Bank. Amount: $1,000,000.

Dabuek W, Waitkus. Property Location: Charles Gross. Property Location: OrSoCanaan. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank NA. wigsburg. Lender: Huntington National Bank.

Amount: $257,000.

Amount: $275,000 MG09 LP. Property Location: Lehigh. LendDavis Properties. Property Location: Kings er: First Hope Bank NA. Amount: $2,323,000 Village Plaza, Rte. 901. Lender: 1st Keystone Gerard Beskovoyne Jr. Property Location: Bank. Amount: $300,000.

Paupack. Lender: The Dime Bank. Amount: Barbie Stolzies. Property Location: Hubley $350,000.

Twp. Lender: Peoples Bank, York. Amount: Thomas Williams. Property Location: $5,000,000.

Damascus. Lender: Honesdale National Bank.

Amount: $340,000.

WAYNE COUNTY James A. Antonucci. Property Location: David V. Droppa. Property Location: Lake. Lender: MERS-Summit Mortgage.

Oregon. Lender: Honesdale National Bank.

Amount: $340,000.

Amount: $436,000.

Camp Morasha Inc. Property LocaWYOMING COUNTY tion: Preston. Lender: FNCB Bank. Amount: William Colbenson. Property Location: Ea$4,000,000. ton Twp. Lender: PS Bank. Amount: $317,887.

Richard C. Dougherty. Property Location: Leonard P. Frieder III. Property LocaSalem. Lender: MERs-United Wholesale Mort- tion: Overfield Twp. Lender: Fidelity Deposit & gage. Amount: $350,800.

Discount Bank. Amount: $424,000.

Matthew IK. Nugent. Property Location: Alta Marcellus Development LLC. Property So Canaan. Lender: Honesdale National Bank.

Location: Braintrim Twp.; Windham Twp; North Amount: $260,000.

Branch Twp. Lender: JPMorgan Chase Bank.

Elite Partners of PA II LLC. Property Amount: $2,500,000,000.

Location: Preston. Lender: Honesdale National Alta Marcellus Development LLC. Property Bank. Amount: $675,000.

Location: Braintrim Twp. Windham Twp.; North Joel Robert Batton. Property Location: Branch Twp. Lender: Wilmington Trust NA. Dreher. Lender: MERS-Summit Mortgage.

Amount: $500,000,000.

Amount: $280,489.

Brian E. Streby. Property Location: John D. Conaboy. Property Location: Pau- Tunkhannok Twp. Lender: AGChoice Farm pack. Lender: Community Bank NA. Amount: Credit. Amount: $369,000. $448,000.

George P. Dobrinaki. Property Location: Maribelle G. MacAlpin. Property Location: Falls Twp. Lender: Peoples Security Bank & So Canaan. Lender: MERS-American Advisors Trust Company. Amount: $606,152.

Group. Amount: $675,000.

Maribelle G. MacAlpin. Property Location: So Canaan. Lender: Housing & Urban Dev. Amount: $675,000.

Please see For The Record, Page 30

NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL JANUARY 2018 29 TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B29] | 12/27/17

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FOR THE RECORD FROM PAGE 29

STOCkS OF lOCal inTEREST

This report on insider trading activity has been prepared for informational purposes only by James Blazejewski, CFP, Senior Vice PresidentInvestment Officer, Wells Fargo Advisors, 672 North River Street, Suite 300, Plains, PA 18705. It is based on information generally available to the public from sources believed to be reliable. No representation is made that the information is accurate or complete and it does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any particular security. Current information contained in this report is not indicative of future activity. Wells Fargo Advisors, is a trade name used by Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC. Member FINRA/SIPC. Source of data: Thomson Financial

INSIDER TRADING ACTIVITY ON STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST FOR JANUARY

(BBT – 49.81) BB&T CORPORATION Donna Goodrich, vice president of BB&T Corporation sold 10,799 shares on November 28 at $46.77 per share for total proceeds of $505,085. Goodrich

New Development & Relocation Opportunities Needed

Pennsylvania Counties of Interest Include: • Bradford, Bucks, Carbon, Columbia, Lackawanna, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Monroe, Northampton, Pike, Schuylkill, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Wayne, Wyoming Locations Wanted: • Flexible space requirements • End Cap, In-Line, Drive-Thru, Free Standing

BUSINESS FOR SALE

18-Year Kitchen Cabinet Business

For Sale in Wilkes-Barre

Bring us any and all potential locations.

We will determine if we can develop or possibly relocate to your site.

PLEASE CONTACT Abbie Muto muto_a@sdepa.com Cheryl Green green_c@sdepa.com (610) 366-8120 • www.sdepa.com

shares at $16.67 per share (exercised 1.1 years prior to the expiration date) at a total cost of $13,203 and on the same date sold those shares at $30.50 per share for total proceeds of $24,156. Davis controls 39,669 shares directly and 8,130 shares indirectly.

(CSS – 26.92) CSS INDUSTRIES INC. John Carmody, vice president of Norwood FinanRebecca Matthias, director of CSS Industries Inc., (CBU- 55.29) COMMUNITY BANK SYSTEM INC. exercised options for 4,000 shares on November 27 cial Corporation, exercised options for 2,219 shares on December 1 at $18.40 per share (1,650 shares at $20.52 per share (exercised 3 days prior to the Michael Kallet, director of Community Bank expiration date) for a total cost of $82,080. Matthias exercised 30 days prior to the expiration date and System, Inc., sold 7,500 shares on November 29 at $56.38 per share for total proceeds of $422,848. Kal- controls 64,721 shares directly.

569 shares exercised 3.1 years prior to the expiration Over the last six months, insiders of CSS Induslet controls 4,103 shares directly and 83,156 shares date) at a total cost of $40,827 and on the same tries, Inc. acquired 36,352 shares. indirectly. date sold those shares at $30.17 per share for total Over the last six months, insiders of Community proceeds of $66,947. Carmody controls 825 shares (FKYS – 29.30) FIRST KEYSTONE CORPORABank System, Inc. acquired 8,457 shares and sold directly and 11,996 shares indirectly.

TION 33,957 shares.

Over the last six months, insiders of Norwood Barbara Robbins, vice president of First Keystone Financial Corporation acquired 12,861 shares and (CZFS – 61.30) CITIZENS FINANCIAL SERVICES Corporation, exercised options for 500 shares on sold 9,611 shares.

December 5 at $16.75 per share (exercised 22 days INC. Roger Graham, director of Citizens Financial Inc., prior to the expiration date) for a total cost of $8,375.

(PNC – 142.43) PNC FINANCIAL SERVICES purchased 500 shares on November 30 at $61.00 per Robbins controls 4,920 shares directly.

GROUP, INC. Elaine Woodland, vice president of First Keystone share for a total cost of $30,500. On November 22, Steven Van Wyk, vice president of PNC Financial Corporation, exercised options for 500 shares on Graham purchased 532 shares at $61.50 per share Services Group, Inc. sold 5,000 shares on DecemDecember 5 at $16.75 per share (exercised 22 days for a total cost of $32,718. Graham controls 42,454 ber 1 at $140.98 per share for total proceeds of prior to the expiration date) for a total cost of $8,375. $704,919. Van Wyk controls 15,166 shares directly. shares directly.

Woodland controls 3,642 shares directly.

Dwight Rohrer, vice president of Citizens FinanJoseph Rockey, vice president of PNC Financial cial Inc., purchased 85 shares on November 29 at Services Group, Inc., exercised options for 17,000 (FDBC – 41.00) FIDELITY D&D BANCORP, INC. shares on November 29 at $54.01 per share (exerTimothy O’Brien, vice president of Fidelity D&D cised 2.2 years prior to the expiration date) at a total Bancorp, Inc., sold 625 shares on December 4 at cost of $918,170 and on the same date sold those $40.75 per share for total proceeds of $25,469. On shares at $138.88 per share for total proceeds of December 1, O’Brien exercised options for 1,500 $2,360,897. Rockey controls 11,828 shares directly. shares at $17.37 per share (exercised 8.1 months Robert Reilly, chief financial officer of PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., exercised options for Established/Profitable prior to the expiration date) for a total cost of $26,055 and on the same date sold those shares 10,000 shares on November 29 at $63.69 per share at $39.00 per share for total proceeds of $58,500. (exercised 7.7 months prior to the expiration date) O’Brien controls 5,785 shares directly and 1,378 for a total cost of $636,900 and on the same date shares indirectly. sold those shares at $139.00 per share for total proOver the last six months, insiders of Fidelity D&D ceeds of $1,390,000. Reilly controls 103,299 shares Bancorp, Inc. acquired 18,673 shares. directly and 1,432 shares indirectly.

Over the last six months, insiders of PNC Finan(NWFL – 29.75) NORWOOD FINANCIAL CORcial Services Group, Inc. acquired 78,781 shares and PORATION disposed of 93,751 shares.

William Davis, chairman of the board of Norwood Financial Corporation, exercised options for 7,383 (SLM – 11.58) SLM CORPORATION shares on December 5 at $16.97 per share (4,158 Raymond Quinlan, chairman of the board of shares exercised 1.1 years prior to the expiration SLM Corporation, sold 200,000 shares on Dedate; 825 shares exercised 3.1 years prior to the cember 1 at $11.52 per share for total proceeds expiration date; 825 shares exercised 4.1 years prior of $2,303,660. Quinlan controls 1,080,133 to the expiration date; 825 shares exercised 5.1 years shares directly. prior to the expiration date; and 750 shares exercised Over the last six months, insiders of SLM 6.1 years prior to the expiration date) for a total cost Corporation disposed of 2,695 shares. of $125,257 and on the same date sold those shares at $30.50 per share for total proceeds of $225,182.

Prices as of Close of Business December On December 1, Davis exercised options for 792 5, 2017 controls 47,182 shares directly and 21,203 shares indirectly.

Over the last six months, insiders of BB&T Corporation acquired 232,228 shares and sold 237,760 shares

Call for Information

Member of International Council of Shopping Centers

570-362-2487

30 NORTHEAST PENNSYLVANIA BUSINESS JOURNAL TS_CNG/NPBJ/PAGES [B30] | 12/27/17

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JANUARY 2018

$61.00 per share for a total cost of $5,185. Graham controls 1,285 shares directly and 910 shares indirectly.

BUSINESS BRIEFS built in Pennsylvania will be auctioned off this month.

Honesdale bank plans new office The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board has The Honesdale National Bank plans to open announced a series of nine dates throughout the a new branch at 651 Northern Blvd. in South vestal firm buys sHoppinG plaza first half of 2018 in which it will receive sealed Abington Twp. Officials say the new branch will A NewYork company bought a shopping plaza bids to purchase licenses for facilities to operate expand the Wayne County-based bank’s footprint for $3 million in the borough. casinos with up to 750 slot machines and eventuin Lackawanna County, now limited to branch Parth Apartments LLC of Vestal bought the ally as many as 40 table games. offices in Archbald and Scott Twp. HNB Assistant fully occupied plaza that includes Waffle House, Experts in the casino industry have suggested Vice President Carol Milani will be branch manager Moe’s Southwest Grill, Community Bank and that Westmoreland County could be a prime locafor the new office, which is HNB’s 11th location.

Dunkin’ Donuts from KARF LLC on Friday. Darlene tion for one of the smaller casinos up for bid.

The new branch is to open in early January.

Dalessandro of Lewith &Freeman Real Estate Inc. The first licenses will be auctioned off Jan. 10 represented Parth. in Harrisburg. Sealed proposals that contain bids Gertrude Hawk opens new store KARF principal Richard Feibus said tenant for the licenses and locations will be opened.

Local chocolate company Gertrude Hawk businesses have long-term leases and the plaza’s Winning bidders will have until the end of the Chocolates opened a new Dickson City retail store profile is unlikely to change. next business day to pay the license price posted and will close its old one nearby.

Feibus, a real estate broker with Coldwell in the auction. They then will have six months to The new location in Target Plaza on Commerce Banker, sees a surge of New York firms hunting for submit an license application for the slots facility.

Boulevard recently held a grand opening. property in Northeast Pennsylvania, he said.

Owners of the state’s 10 existing large casinos Headquarted in Dunmore, Gertude Hawk will be able to bid for satellite licenses. employs about 600 people and has retail locations wvia cHanGes frequencies in Luzerne and Lackawanna counties.

WVIA-TV recently changed broadcast frequenfirms Get ben franklin fundinG cies per federal law, and viewers who don’t pay Three area firms have been awarded funddep slaps cabot witH $99k penalty for cable or satellite must adjust their antennas to ing through Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Cabot Oil & Gas Corp. agreed to pay a $99,000 keep watching.

Northeastern Pennsylvania, an investment arm of civil penalty for excess natural gas emissions and The channels remain in the same place — 44.1 the state economic development department. failure to submit compliance reports, the state for WVIA-HD, 44.2 for WVIA PBS Kids 24/7 and Ben Franklin announced $320,530 in early stage Department of Environmental Protection said.

44.3 for WVIA Create — but some viewers must development awards including the following local The DEP found Cabot had excess emissions rescan television channels through their televifirms: on various well sites, and company officials failed sions or set-top converter boxes. Options are often • $100,000 to PlanGuru LLC., Wilkes-Barre, to to submit complete compliance demonstration found by pressing the setup or menu button on the expand marketing. The company provides budget reports for 20 gas wells throughout Susquehanna remote, WVIA said. forecasting tools for executives.

County, according to the DEP. After taking correcCable and satellite customers do not have to • $7,800 to Jed Pool Tools Inc., Scranton, to purtive measures, the company is now compliant, the rescan. Visit www.tvanswers.org for information. chase enterprise resource planning software.

DEP said.

Nationally, nearly 1,000 TV stations are chang- • $7,730 to Performance Biomedical LLC, Wright The excess emissions and incomplete ing frequencies over the next several years to Twp., to purchase enterprise planning software. reporting violate the Pennsylvania Air Pollution make more room for wireless broadband services.

Control Act and Federal New Source Performance state Green-liGHts scranton Standards. medical marijuana Grower apartments sold in midvalley The penalty will be put into the state’s Clean Air Scranton’s medical marijuana grower recently A Dallas company recently bought a Blakely Fund, which pays for air quality programs in the received state approval to begin production. apartment complex for $13.5 million. state.

Gov. Tom Wolf’s administration announced Timberfalls Blakely LLC bought Timber Falls at Pennsylvania Medical Solutions LLC, a subsidiary Blakely off the Scranton/Carbondale Highway on bank moves into new brancH office Oct. 28 from TF Blakely LP. of Vireo Health, has the green light to start growing Wayne Bank relocated its Abingtons commumarijuana and processing it into medicine.

Officials with affiliate management company nity branch office to a newly constructed building Another company, GTI Pennsylvania LLC in Silk Mananagement Group LLC did not return an along Northern Boulevard, a short distance from email asking about potential changes, however, an Montour County, also received state approval. its old spot.

Six grower/processor companies have cleared announcement on its website says the company The new office at 841 Northern Blvd. offers a number of inspections to prove they meet state has already begun renovations. more parking spaces and easier access to drive requirements, the state said. The Wolf administraSilk Management also owns Country Club through lanes, bank officials said. tion expects more to be approved in the coming Apartments in Dallas and apartments in Reading.

The Honesdale-based bank had operated the days. old Abingtons branch office, at 651 Northern pennsylvania to auction off casino “We thank Gov. Wolf and his administration for licenses Blvd., since 1989. Growth in the Clarks Summitproviding us with the opportunity to provide those The first of 10 satellite casino licenses to be area market prompted new construction of the patients suffering from chronic pain and other

by Jon O’Connell

2,300-squarefoot building, where customers can find the same line of financial services, officials said.

M&T helps those in need M&T Bank recently made a $3,000 donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen. From left, are Mary Theresa Vautrinot, executive director, Catholic Social Services of the Dioceses of Scranton and Phil Johnson, regional president, M&T Bank.

For information about volunteer opportunities or the donation needs at the St. Vincent de Paul Kitchen, call 570-829-7796, ext. 301. medical conditions with best-in-class medical cannabis products,” said Dr. Kyle Kingsley, chief executive officer of Vireo Health and Pennsylvania Medical Solutions, in a written statement. “Working together with our partners in government and health care, we hope to make a real difference in people’s lives.”

Pennsylvania Medical Solutions may begin accepting seeds and plant clones to start growing at its facility in Scranton’s Green Ridge section. The company plans to begin shipping products toward the middle of 2018.

The state’s medical marijuana program went into effect in 2016 following legislation legalizing the drug to treat 17 serious medical conditions, including cancer, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Crohn’s disease and posttraumautic stress disorder.

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